By Kelvin Obambon
The Cross River State Government has commenced payment of N50,000 to selected vulnerable residents under its Social Investment Programme, the Coordinator, Dr Edem Okokon Effiom, has disclosed.
Dr Okokon made the disclosure during an interactive session with journalists in Calabar on Saturday. He said the payments began about five days ago and form part of efforts to cushion the effects of poverty across the state’s 196 wards.
According to him, the programme targets 100 persons from each of the 196 wards, with plans to expand the social safety net register. “A couple of days ago, people started getting the sum of N50,000 from the Cross River Social Investment Programme,” he stated.
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He clarified that the funds are coming from the state government’s social investment initiative, courtesy of Governor Bassey Edet Otu, and not from any federal scheme or private platforms such as OPay. He noted that some residents had mistakenly linked the payments to the National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention (NERSI) circulating on social media.
“The N50,000 people are receiving is coming from the Cross River Social Investment Programme, courtesy of the benevolence of His Excellency, Apostle Prince Bassey Edet Otu,” he emphasized. “It is not the federal government. It is from the state.”
Dr Okon described the intervention as an investment in the core poor rather than a loan or a one-off grant. “As the name implies, social investment, we are investing in people. So we are not asking people to make a profit out of it. Neither is it a grant… It is an investment in the very poor, the core poor of our society.”
The coordinator said the state is still building a register of vulnerable persons, admitting that it is not yet perfect. According to him, beneficiaries were drawn from various social groups, including churches, traditional institutions, women groups and youth organisations, to ensure inclusivity.
Dr Okokon acknowledged ongoing challenges with bank account details and Bank Verification Numbers (BVN) that have delayed some payments, but assured that the issues are being addressed. He added that the government would continue to refine the register to accommodate more vulnerable groups, including persons with disabilities.
On the sustainability of the programme, he said it would depend on the health of the state’s economy and sustained public pressure. “If the economy stays good, I’m sure a programme like this His Excellency would definitely sustain it,” he noted.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government on October 30, 2026, launched the National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention (NERSI), through the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction to provide financial relief against rising living costs and food inflation in the country.
However, some residents of Cross River who have received N50,000 into their digital mobile wallets such as MTN MoMo and OPay, said the payment description was that of NERSI.
Notification and transaction receipt of a NERSI beneficiary in Cross River
