World Bank has expressed dissatisfaction over Nigeria’s claimed disbursement of N658.9bn direct cash transfers to 10.46 million poor and vulnerable households as of September 2026, saying Nigeria should focus on building sustainable social protection system that would provide regular support to vulnerable Nigerians rather than relying on emergency interventions.
The Nigerian government had in a statement announced that 10.46 million poor and vulnerable households benefited from direct cash transfer worth N658.9bn as of September 2026.
Many Nigerians disputed the disbursement and called for evidence supporting the claims.
The World Bank in its latest Nigeria Development Update, titled ‘Beyond the Federal Purse: How Higher Revenues Shaped State Priorities’, analysed on Sunday, said Nigeria needs to put in place a system that addresses economic challenges faced by vulnerable Nigerian, rather government short term interventions.
“Building on this progress, the next step is to move from an emergency response toward a regular, sustainable social protection system, with dedicated budget lines at the federal and state levels, gradually increasing financing from government resources, and a shared overarching vision,” the report stated.
The World Bank said social protection and effective public service delivery could help protect households from the effects of economic pressures, but warned that the impact of such interventions would depend on the number of people reached, the adequacy of the assistance and the regularity of payments.
“Social protection and service delivery can help cushion households against these pressures, though their effectiveness will continue to depend on coverage, adequacy, and continuity,” the report stated.
The bank called for a shift towards a more predictable social protection system backed by government resources and coordinated action between federal and state authorities, to ensure that vulnerable Nigerians receive sustained support.
“These efforts need to be accelerated and deepened, with continued progress on coverage, adequacy, and consistency of transfers necessary to broaden and strengthen their contribution to household welfare,” it said.
The bank also urged the Federal Government and state governments to establish a long-term funding framework for social protection, arguing that sustainable financing would be essential to maintaining assistance to poor and vulnerable household.
The report called for faster implementation and improvements in the reach, value and consistency of cash transfers to ensure that the programme provided more meaningful relief to beneficiaries facing economic hardship.
