After months of waiting, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has finally released the list of successful candidates for its 2024/2025 recruitment exercise, with just 3,852 applicants making the final cut from a staggering 573,680 applications.
The figures show just how fierce the competition was. Only 0.67 per cent of applicants were successful – roughly one out of every 148 people who applied.
Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday, Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, apologised for the delay in publishing the final list, describing the recruitment as one of the toughest and most thorough exercises the Service has ever conducted.
According to him, those recruited include 1,275 officers in the Superintendent Cadre, 367 in the Inspectorate Cadre and 2,210 Customs Assistants. Every state in Nigeria, as well as the Federal Capital Territory, was represented in the recruitment.
Adeniyi explained that the lengthy process was necessary to protect the integrity of the exercise. Applicants went through computer-based tests, identity verification using the national database and additional checks where records could not be immediately confirmed.
He stressed that accuracy and transparency were given priority over speed.
Even after making the final list, successful candidates must still complete physical and medical examinations before receiving final clearance from the Customs Board.
In a major policy change, the Customs boss announced that recruitment into the Service will now become an annual exercise instead of taking place only when vacancies arise. He said the next recruitment process will begin later this year and will be completed within the same calendar year.
For the more than 560,000 applicants who were unsuccessful, Adeniyi urged them not to lose hope. He noted that many met the required standards but could not be recruited because there were simply not enough vacancies.
Each state received 105 recruitment slots, made up of 35 Superintendent positions, 10 Inspectorate positions and 60 Customs Assistant positions, while the Federal Capital Territory was allocated 72 slots.
On gender representation, he revealed that 839 women secured appointments, accounting for 21.8 per cent of successful candidates. He said this was slightly higher than the percentage of female applicants, although operational and anti-smuggling roles generally attract fewer women because of their physically demanding nature.
The Customs Service also welcomed a younger workforce, with the median age of successful candidates standing at 26 years. Nearly three-quarters of those recruited are under the age of 30, a move Adeniyi said aligns with the agency’s long-term modernisation plans.
He also warned applicants to stay away from fraudsters, insisting that Customs recruitment is completely free.
“No candidate has paid, and no candidate should pay anyone for recruitment. Anyone demanding money is a criminal and should be reported to the Service and security agencies,” he said.
