The Federal Government has announced that recruitment for Batch B of the Youth Economic Intervention and De-Radicalisation Programme (YEIDEP) will begin nationwide on Monday, March 9, 2026, as part of efforts to expand economic opportunities for Nigerian youths.
The announcement was made in a statement issued on Thursday by the programme’s Coordinator-General, Comrade Kennedy Iyere, who urged eligible Nigerians between the ages of 18 and 50 to participate in the exercise.
According to Iyere, the recruitment will take place across the country, with the exception of Kano State, where the process will be coordinated by the state government through a newly constituted Kano State YEIDEP Steering Committee under Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf.
He explained that unlike the Batch A phase, which relied largely on online registration and digital data capture, Batch B applicants must visit designated partner banks physically to open a YEIDEP bank account, which forms a key requirement for participation.
The organisers emphasised that opening the YEIDEP bank account remains the only recognised pathway to becoming a participant and potential beneficiary, stressing that the registration process is entirely free.
Applicants were therefore advised to report any bank official or intermediary requesting payment during the process.
The statement further clarified that individuals who successfully registered under Batch A and already possess confirmed YEIDEP bank accounts are not eligible for the new recruitment phase. However, those who registered previously but did not receive confirmed accounts have been encouraged to participate in the upcoming exercise.
Iyere also issued a stern warning against multiple registrations.
“We also strictly want to warn against double or multiple registration, as anyone found guilty of such shall be disqualified automatically,” he said.
Several banks have been designated as partners for the exercise, including Fidelity Bank, Keystone Bank, Alpha Morgan Bank, Wema Bank, Union Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank, Zenith Bank, Access Bank, United Bank for Africa, Ecobank and Lotus Bank.
The Youth Economic Intervention and De-Radicalisation Programme is a national youth empowerment initiative coordinated by the Federal Ministry of Youth Development in partnership with the Youths Off The Street Initiative and supported by development partners.
According to the organisers, the programme is designed to tackle Nigeria’s persistent youth unemployment crisis while addressing social vulnerabilities that could lead to radicalisation.
“YEIDEP’s core mandate is to tackle Nigeria’s chronic youth unemployment, youth poverty and youth hopelessness, and also their imposed threats of youth radicalization, socio-political instability, national insecurity and economic unproductivity,” Iyere said.
He warned that failure to address these challenges could pose long-term threats to the country’s stability and development.
“YEIDEP aims to empower 20 million youths with startup capital as a way of promoting entrepreneurship and self-employment among young people, which is the surest means of generating mass employment for youths, thus addressing the risks of youth frustration, radicalization and restiveness,” he added.
The Federal Government noted that the initiative forms part of broader efforts to stimulate youth-driven economic growth while reducing social and security risks associated with unemployment among young Nigerians.
