FG disburses benefits to 8.1m households under NSIP, targets 15m by December

From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja

The Federal Government has said that over 8.1 million households have so far benefited from its National Social Investment Programme (NSIP), representing a 54 per cent coverage rate as of August 2025.

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, who disclosed this at a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, explained that an additional 2.2 million households were enrolled since the last reporting cycle in June 2025, following the successful validation of Bank Verification Numbers (BVN) and National Identity Numbers (NIN).

According to Edun, the government has set a target of reaching 15 million households by December 2025, with efforts underway to address delays in disbursement caused by the pace of beneficiary enrolment.

Data presented by the NSIP Presidential Panel showed that cumulative beneficiaries rose steadily from 1.78 million households in November 2023 to 8.11 million by August 2025.

Breakdowns of the disbursements revealed that 61 per cent of beneficiary households are female-led, against 39 per cent male, while by age group, 36 per cent of beneficiaries fall within the 51–65 years bracket, followed by 30 per cent aged 21–35 years.

Regional analysis showed that the North-West recorded the highest share with 3 million households, accounting for 72 per cent of the disbursements, while the South accounted for 28 per cent.

The government noted that while the current numbers represent progress, the ambition is to ensure that at least 45 per cent of the targeted 15 million households are female-led by the end of the programme cycle.

The minister reaffirmed that the administration remains committed to expanding social protection coverage as part of its poverty reduction and inclusive growth agenda.