If you make money from X, things have changed: What Nigerian creators need to know as old payment scheme ends

• X has ended its old Creator Revenue Sharing programme and launched Original Content Rewards.

• Nigerian creators can still earn, but they must meet new rules, including 500 verified followers and 500,000 qualifying impressions in 90 days.

• Original content now matters more, while copied posts, artificial engagement and some policy violations can cost creators their earnings.

If you have been making money from X by posting regularly, building an audience and racking up impressions, there is a major change you need to know about.

X has retired its Creator Revenue Sharing programme, the payment system that allowed eligible creators to earn from engagement on their posts. The old programme stopped accepting new users on August 7, 2026, and officially ended on September 7.

But X is not ending creator monetisation. Instead, it has replaced the old system with Original Content Rewards, a new programme that puts much more emphasis on content being genuinely created by the person posting it. 

The good news is that this programme is available to Nigerian creators in Nigeria.

Creators already enrolled in Creator Revenue Sharing continued earning until September 7.

X said they would receive three final payouts: two scheduled for August 14 and August 28, followed by a final payment for earnings accumulated through September 7, expected on or around September 11.

From September 8, existing Revenue Sharing members began getting access to apply for Original Content Rewards through Creator Studio. 

However, being part of the old programme does not automatically put a creator into the new one. They must satisfy the new requirements and be approved. 

Existing earners who have already completed their identity verification and have a valid payout method connected to your account do not have to repeat those steps when applying for Original Content Rewards.

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As the name suggests, X wants to reward people for making original content.

The programme covers written posts, Articles, videos, images, graphics, memes and other formats, as long as they reflect the creator's own voice, perspective, expertise or creativity.

That could be particularly useful for Nigerian journalists, commentators and creators who explain events rather than simply reposting them.

X says commentary and analysis can count as original expression. For example, breaking down a news story, explaining a complicated issue or adding context to a cultural moment can qualify when the creator contributes something genuinely their own. 

What does not count? Copying somebody else's post, downloading a viral video from TikTok or Instagram and uploading it to X, making only minor changes to someone else's content, or simply aggregating material from other people without adding substantial value.

To apply, you need at least 500,000 Home Timeline impressions from verified users in the previous 90 days. Impressions on replies do not count towards this threshold. You also need at least 500 verified followers.

On top of that, you must be 18 or older, live in an eligible country such as Nigeria, have a Personal or Business account in good standing, and actively post original content.

You also need an active X Premium, Premium+ or Premium Business subscription.

Interestingly, when calculating qualified impressions for payouts, impressions can come from subscribers to Premium Basic, Premium, Premium+ or Premium Business.

Before applying, ask yourself:

• Am I 18 or older?

• Do I live in an eligible country, including Nigeria?

• Do I have at least 500 verified followers?

• Have I generated at least 500,000 Home Timeline impressions from verified users in the last 90 days?

• Do I have an eligible X Premium subscription?

• Is my account in good standing?

• Am I regularly publishing genuinely original content?

• Is my monetisation currently active, rather than paused because of an earlier policy violation?

• Can I receive payouts through Stripe if I am outside the US?

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Meeting the checklist does not automatically guarantee approval, because X still reviews applications.

X says it will review applications and notify creators of the outcome within three business days after they meet the requirements and apply.

But a rejection cannot simply be followed by another application the next day.

A creator whose application is rejected gets one appeal. If that appeal is unsuccessful, the creator must wait 90 days before applying again, provided they still meet all the eligibility requirements.

So meeting the numbers matters, but so does making sure the account and its content comply with X's rules before applying.

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Content created or posted using automated means is ineligible under Original Content Rewards. 

It also has a specific rule concerning AI-generated videos of armed conflict.

Since March 3, 2026, posting such a video without disclosing that it was made with AI can result in a 90-day suspension from the programme. A subsequent violation can lead to permanent suspension of further payments. 

A creator whose monetisation is currently paused because of a previous policy violation cannot enrol in Original Content Rewards right now.

X can also remove creators from the programme for fraudulent activity, artificial engagement, manipulating recommendations, using bots, repeatedly asking people to like or repost content, posting misleading information or violating its wider rules. 

For anyone hoping to keep earning from X, it is no longer enough to chase views. What you post, where those impressions come from and how genuinely original your content is now matter much more.