The World Bank has reported that Nigeria’s cash-based social intervention programmes reached 67.19 million people and 10.44 million households by August 2026, highlighting significant progress in the delivery of economic shock-responsive assistance.
In its latest Implementation Status and Results Report on the National Social Safety Net Programme-Scale Up, the World Bank said 10.43 million poor and vulnerable households had received shock-responsive cash transfers.
The report also stated that more than 7.1 million households had received all three tranches of the intervention after undergoing biometric verification using their National Identification Numbers (NINs) or Bank Verification Numbers (BVNs).
Despite the reported expansion, concerns over beneficiary identification, payment verification and transparency have continued to surround the programme.
The Auditor-General for the Federation, in its 2024 annual report on non-compliance and internal control weaknesses, had questioned documentation supporting ₦33.751 billion in electronic transfers to 3,295,207 households and beneficiaries across 35 states in 2023.
The audit report said payment vouchers did not contain complete beneficiary details, while the Remita statement needed to reconcile recipients with those listed on the National Social Register and National Beneficiary Register was not presented for examination.
The auditors consequently said they could not authenticate the payments or establish whether the beneficiaries were genuine.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has also questioned the difference between a 15 million-household figure announced by the Presidency in July and a subsequent government disclosure that more than 10 million households had received cash transfers.
He also called for a verifiable trail showing households paid, the number of tranches received, failed transactions and reversals, following the government's disclosure that more than ₦600 billion had been disbursed.
According to the latest World Bank report, the number of people covered by cash-based interventions increased from 60.09 million in May to 67.19 million in August 2026, exceeding the programme's June 2027 closing target of 56 million.
Women accounted for 39.77 million of those covered, while 12.32 million were youths.
The World Bank said women represented 57.6 per cent of primary beneficiaries, above the programme's 45 per cent target, while 81 per cent of beneficiary households were within the bottom six income deciles.
The report further stated that 12.9 million households had been visited as part of the verification exercise, while more than 15.8 million NINs had been verified in the social registry.
Of that number, 10.95 million households had been verified using NINs and BVNs and integrated into the National Benefit Delivery Management System.
The World Bank said 98.9 per cent of beneficiary households received transfers within 10 days of their scheduled payment dates, while beneficiary satisfaction stood at 87.7 per cent.
It added that transfers were being made directly into beneficiary-owned digital accounts backed by biometric identification.
While the World Bank said the programme had achieved its project development objectives, it retained the overall risk rating at “substantial.”
Governance, macroeconomic, technical-design and fiduciary risks were also rated substantial.
The lender further disclosed that the modernised social registry was not yet operational as of August 2026, although it was expected to become operational by June 2027.
On financing, the report said the programme's $800 million International Development Association facility had been revised to $776.42 million, with $762.43 million, or 98.2 per cent, already disbursed.
The latest figures indicate substantial growth in the reach of Nigeria's social protection programme, while questions around beneficiary verification and payment traceability remain part of the wider discussion on the scheme's implementation.
