The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has been flooded with applications as 411,906 Nigerians jostled for just 41,307 spots in the second phase of the Renewed Hope Employment Initiative, Director General, Silas Agara announced.
The staggering demand forced the NDE to shut down its registration portal after just weeks, with Kaduna State topping the list at 54,000 applicants—more than some entire geopolitical zones.
Breakdown
North-West Dominates: 109,566 applicants, followed by North-East (93,724) and North-Central (83,924).
South Trails: South-West (56,118), South-South (38,628), and South-East (29,946) had the lowest numbers.
Kaduna Leads States:Yobe (19,000) and Nasarawa (15,000) followed, while Ebonyi had the fewest applicants (8,000+).
Screening Starts Soon: Shortlisting runs from August 12-22, with final lists out by September 1-2. Training begins immediately after.
14,000 to Be Resettled: Successful candidates will receive support, with at least 4 beneficiaries per ward nationwide.
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Originally, only 27,000 jobs were available, but Agara revealed that development partners stepped in, expanding opportunities to 41,307—a near 100% increase!
However, the DG warned that budget constraints prevent further expansion this year, but 2026 will see more openings.
In related news, the Bank of Industry (BoI) confirmed that N2.25 billion has been distributed to 16,696 MSMEs in Gombe State under a N200 billion Federal Government loan scheme.
BoI’s MD, Dr. Olasupo Olusi, revealed that nearly 900,000 beneficiaries nationwide have received over N107 billion in support so far.
With 10 applicants competing for every slot, the NDE’s screening process promises to be highly competitive.
