A post seen on WhatsApp recently claimed that the Federal Government of Nigeria had opened a National Family Support Scheme to give ₦185,000 allowance to Nigerian families, and urged families to register.
The message shared on WhatsApp stated that the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, “have urge (sic) the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Prof Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda (sic) should open the NATION FAMILY SUPPORT scheme. Every Nigerian is entitled to receive the sum of ₦185,000 for 3 months.”
Screenshot of the post on WhatsApp
It included a link and urged families to apply via the link. It also asked that it be shared for the benefit of others.
Verification
In the first instance, the content of the post drew our curiosity, especially with its apparent grammatical inconsistency. There is a mix-up of subject-verb agreement across the message. This is uncharacteristic of government communication.
Also, a Google search did not show that Nigeria has a Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation. Rather, it is properly referred to as the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction.
A check on the official website of the
Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction shows that the Minister is Dr. Bernard Doro, contrary to Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda indicated in the post. For context, Prof Yilwatda was appointed Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction in October 2024 to replace Betta Edu, who was suspended for allegations of mismanagement of funds related to social welfare programmes.
Yilwatda left the Ministry on July 24, 2025 when he was elected to be the National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC).
A keyword search shows that this claim had been in circulation since 2025. And it had been debunked by various fact-checking platforms. Some of the fact-checks, dating back as far as August 2025 include Source: Dubawa this, this, and this.
The official website of the Ministry does not contain any information about this ₦185,000 allowance. Also, there is no official government channel that has announced this scheme in 2026. Government sources checked include NASSCO/NASIMS, and the National Cash Transfer Office.
In July of 2026, the Federal Government of Nigeria issued a warning about fake websites parading as government portals offering allowances. The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, advised Nigerians to verify any information only through official government channels in that warning.
The link inserted in the post was checked with who.is to verify its authenticity. The search shows that the website has a suspicious record. It is mainly created to scam innocent individuals and collect their sensitive data.
Verdict
False!
The Family Support Allowance of ₦185,000 is a repeat post of a 2025 scam post. It was debunked in 2025. It resurfaced in October 2026 without any government source authenticating its validity. It is a scheme to fleece unsuspecting individuals of their data through a phishing site.
The Federal Government of Nigeria is not giving any such allowance.
