The Federal Government has disbursed ₦658.9bn in direct cash transfers to 10.46 million poor and vulnerable households as of September 2026, but the World Bank has called for broader coverage, adequate payments and more consistent support.
The recommendation was contained in the bank’s latest Nigeria Development Update, which examined economic conditions and government interventions to protect households from financial hardship.
The report said biometric and digital verification systems were used to identify beneficiaries and deliver payments under the programme. However, it stressed that reaching millions of households would not be enough without improving the value and regularity of the assistance.
The bank urged the Federal Government to move beyond emergency relief towards a sustainable social protection system that provides predictable support to vulnerable Nigerians.
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It also called on federal and state governments to establish dedicated budget allocations and gradually increase funding from public resources. A coordinated framework, it said, would help sustain payments and strengthen the programme’s contribution to household welfare.
The recommendation places greater responsibility on state governments to complement federal cash transfers with their own social protection commitments.
With many households facing economic pressures, the bank said expanding coverage, improving payment adequacy and ensuring continuity would be essential to making the programme more effective.
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