The Nigeria Customs Service has announced the recruitment of 3,852 successful candidates from a total of 573,680 applicants in its 2024/2025 recruitment exercise, while unveiling plans to make recruitment an annual exercise.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, disclosed this on Tuesday during a press briefing at the NCS headquarters in Abuja, describing the move as part of efforts to strengthen manpower planning and improve the transparency of the recruitment process.
According to Adeniyi, the annual recruitment system will enable the service to replace retiring personnel in a structured manner instead of waiting several years before conducting fresh recruitment.
He said the 2026 recruitment exercise would commence later this year and would be completed within a single calendar year, from advertisement to the release of the final list.
“Recruitment will no longer be an occasional event undertaken every several years. It will become a predictable yearly exercise,” he said.
The Customs boss explained that the 2024/2025 recruitment attracted 573,680 applications for only 3,852 vacancies, translating to a success rate of just 0.67 per cent, or roughly one successful applicant for every 148 candidates.
A breakdown of the successful candidates showed that 1,275 were recruited into the Superintendent Cadre, 367 into the Inspectorate Cadre, while 2,210 were enlisted into the Customs Assistant Cadre.
Adeniyi said the recruitment was conducted in line with the Federal Character principle, with all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory represented.
He explained that each state was allocated 105 slots, comprising 35 Superintendent positions, 10 Inspectorate positions and 60 Customs Assistant positions, while the FCT received 72 slots.
He stressed that no recruitment slot was allocated at the discretion of any officer.
On gender representation, the Comptroller-General said 839 women, representing 21.8 per cent of the successful candidates, secured employment.
He noted that female applicants accounted for 21.2 per cent of total applications, adding that the service would intensify efforts to attract more qualified women into enforcement and operational roles.
According to him, the median age of successful candidates is 26 years, with nearly three-quarters of those recruited below the age of 30.
Adeniyi attributed the prolonged recruitment process to the unprecedented number of applications received and the rigorous screening procedures adopted by the service.
He said the exercise involved application screening, computer-based tests, credential verification and identity confirmation using the National Identity database.
“The volume of applications was extraordinary. Every application had to be received, verified and assessed,” he said.
He added that the recruitment coincided with an unusually high rate of retirements among senior officers, placing additional pressure on the administrative process.
The successful candidates are expected to undergo physical and medical examinations before a final review and approval by the Customs Board.
Adeniyi said successful applicants would be contacted through the details submitted during registration and advised them to rely only on official communication from the service.
He also warned members of the public against paying money to secure employment, insisting that recruitment into the Nigeria Customs Service remains free, merit-based and transparent.
“Anyone who solicits payment on our behalf is a criminal and should be reported to the service and relevant security agencies,” he said.
The Comptroller-General congratulated the successful applicants and urged them to uphold the integrity, discipline and professional standards of the Nigeria Customs Service throughout their careers.
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