The Nigerian Federal Government announced that applicants of its N50,000 Presidential Conditional Grant Scheme for citizens across the 774 local government areas should watch out for SMS to link applications with the National Identity Number.

The Minister of Trade, Industry, and Investment, Doris Uzoka-Anite, disclosed this in a notice she posted through her official X account on Sunday.

The Minister stressed that the applicant’s NIN must tally, without which there will be no processing in line with the Central Bank of Nigeria’s NIN- Account number linkage requirement.

“The Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment thanks all applicants for their interest in the Presidential Conditional Grant Programme and assures that applications are being thoroughly processed.

“Due to new regulations from the Central Bank of Nigeria, applicants are now required to link their national identification numbers (NIN) with their bank accounts. We currently do not have a record of the NINs of those who applied. Therefore all applicants will receive an SMS from ‘FGGRANTLOAN’ With instructions to submit this information via a
secure link.

“This step is essential for the continuation of the application process. Only verified applicants will receive this notification, and NINs must match the applicant’s name for the process to proceed.

“We appreciate your patience and cooperation, and we will keep you updated on your application’s progress. Thank you for your participation and contribution to national growth”, the statement reads.

The scheme, which was expected to commence on March 9, 2024, would offer financial grants, without repayment obligations, to eligible small business owners in Nigeria.