Federal Government has said recruitment for the Batch B beneficiaries of the Youth Economic Intervention and De-Radicalisation Programme (YEIDEP) would commence nationwide on March 9.

The information was contained in a statement issued yesterday by the Coordinator-General of the programme, Kennedy Iyere.

The FG implored eligible Nigerians between the ages of 18 and 50 to participate in the exercise.

According to the statement, the recruitment would be conducted across the country except in Kano State, where the process would be overseen by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf through a newly established Kano State YEIDEP Steering Committee, authorised to manage the process within the state.

Unlike the Batch A recruitment phase, which relied on an online registration portal for data capture and bank account processing, Batch B applicants are required to visit designated partner banks physically to open a YEIDEP bank account as part of the registration process.

The organisers stated that opening the YEIDEP bank account remains the only valid means of becoming a recognised participant and potential beneficiary, stressing that the registration process is free of charge. Applicants are advised to report any request for payment by bank officials or intermediaries.

The statement further clarified that individuals who successfully registered under Batch A and already had YEIDEP bank accounts are not eligible for the new recruitment phase.

However, those who registered during Batch A but did not receive confirmed accounts are encouraged to participate in Batch B.
Participants are also warned against multiple registrations, noting that offenders would be automatically disqualified.
Authorised banks include 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 economic inclusion and engagement initiative coordinated by the Federal Ministry of Youth Development in collaboration with the Youths Off The Street Initiative, and supported by development partners.

According to the organisers, the programme seeks to address youth unemployment, poverty and vulnerability to radicalisation by promoting entrepreneurship and self-employment opportunities among young Nigerians.

YEIDEP aims to empower up to 20 million youths with startup capital and support mechanisms to stimulate economic participation and reduce social and security risks associated with youth unemployment.

MEANWHILE, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has applauded President Bola Tinubu for the approval of a massive review and upgrade of the Kano–Kongolom road project, which stood at N334 billion.

He described the approval passed by the Federal Executive Council on Wednesday as a historic breakthrough that would transform Kano’s road network and reposition the commercial and logistics heartbeat of Northern Nigeria.

Yusuf asserted that the redesigned project, spanning 132 kilometres, covers a three-lane concrete carriageway and would be equipped with solar-powered streetlights and modern CCTV surveillance systems.

In a statement by his spokesperson, Sanusi Bature Dawakin-Tofa, the governor noted that the Kano–Kongolom corridor, which links Kano, Jigawa and Katsina states, remains a strategic economic route in the North-West, and a vital gateway to trade, agriculture, and industrial growth