​Nigeria’s cash-based social safety net interventions reached 67.19 million individuals and 10.44 million households as of August 2026, surpassing its initial target ahead of schedule, according to the latest report released by the World Bank.
​The details were contained in the World Bank’s Implementation Status and Results Report for the $800 million National Social Safety Net Programme-Scale Up (NASSP-SU), released on Monday morning, September 21, 2026, at the bank’s country office in Abuja.
​According to the report, coverage surged from 60.09 million individuals in May 2026 to 67.19 million by August 2026, comfortably exceeding the project’s original target of 56 million set for June 2027.
Of the total beneficiaries, 39.77 million (57.6 percent) are female primary recipients, while 12.32 million are youths. Furthermore, 81 percent of recipient households fall within the bottom six income deciles, reflecting strong targeting of the poorest demographics.
​Speaking on the performance metrics, the World Bank Task Team Lead noted that 10.43 million vulnerable households have received economic shock-responsive cash transfers, with over 7.1 million households receiving all three scheduled tranches of financial support following biometric verification using National Identification Numbers (NIN) or Bank Verification Numbers (BVN).
​”The project has made significant progress in implementation and achieved all Project Development Objectives targets,” the report stated, highlighting that in collaboration with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), over 12.9 million households have been visited, leading to the verification of 15.8 million NINs and the integration of 10.95 million households into the National Benefit Delivery Management System.
​Despite the expanding reach, the social investment initiative continues to face heavy scrutiny over public accountability, beneficiary traceability, and identification integrity.
​The World Bank maintained a “Substantial” overall risk rating for the programme, citing persistent political, macroeconomic, fiduciary, and technical design risks.
The lender acknowledged that while payments are transferred directly into digital accounts, the fully modernized, unified National Social Registry is not expected to be fully operational until June 2027.
​Critics and civil society groups have repeatedly pointed out disparities in disbursement tracking and audit disclosures.
Recent audit observations highlighted instances where payment vouchers lacked complete beneficiary details, and central reconciliation logs between payment processors and the national register were unavailable for external examination.
Opposition leaders, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, have also challenged discrepancies between different household figures previously announced by government representatives.
​Addressing these concerns during a press briefing at the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction in Abuja on Monday afternoon, Minister Dr. Bernard Doro reiterated the government’s commitment to verifiable digital identity management.
​”Every transfer under the Household Prosperity and Empowerment Cash Transfer Programme is now strictly tied to biometric NIN and BVN protocols. Over 98.9 percent of verified households received their direct transfers within 10 days of scheduled disbursement dates, showing unprecedented speed and direct accountability,” Dr. Doro stated.
​The $800 million International Development Association (IDA) facility, revised to $776.42 million, has seen $762.43 million (98.2 percent) disbursed as the Federal Government continues using direct cash distributions to cushion the impact of macroeconomic reforms on vulnerable households.
