The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced a major reform to its recruitment process, introducing a predictable annual recruitment cycle while unveiling the final list of 3,852 successful candidates for its 2024/2025 recruitment exercise.
Key Highlights:
- Customs introduces annual recruitment from 2026.
- 3,852 candidates succeed in the 2024/2025 exercise.
- Over 573,000 people applied nationwide.
- Future recruitment will be faster and more transparent.
- NCS warns applicants against recruitment fraud.
Speaking at the customs headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday, Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, said the new system would replace the previous irregular recruitment pattern with a yearly exercise aimed at improving workforce planning and providing aspiring applicants with a clear timeline for future opportunities.
According to him, recruitment into the customs will now become a permanent annual process rather than an exercise conducted only after several years.
Adeniyi disclosed that the 2026 recruitment exercise is scheduled to begin later this year and will be concluded within the same calendar year, from the advertisement stage to the publication of the final list of successful candidates.
He noted that the new arrangement would eliminate uncertainty for applicants who were unsuccessful in previous exercises, as they would know exactly when the next recruitment process would commence.
The customs boss explained that the technology, screening procedures and verification systems developed during the just-concluded exercise have now been fully established, making future recruitment faster, more transparent and more efficient.
He added that much of the delay experienced during the 2024/2025 exercise resulted from the need to build the necessary recruitment infrastructure, a process he said has now been completed.
Also, the customs confirmed the release of the final list of 3,852 successful candidates, bringing to an end a nationwide recruitment exercise that commenced in December 2024.
A breakdown of the successful applicants shows that 1,275 were recruited into the superintendent cadre, 367 into the inspectorate cadre, while 2,210 secured positions in the customs assistant cadre.
Adeniyi revealed that the recruitment attracted an unprecedented 573,680 applications, with all candidates subjected to multiple screening stages, including computer-based examinations and credential verification through the National Identity database.
He attributed the lengthy recruitment process to the overwhelming number of applications received, as well as the significant retirement of senior management personnel within the Service.
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Despite the delays, the comptroller-general maintained that the recruitment exercise was conducted with strict adherence to merit, insisting that the integrity of the process was never compromised.
He further stated that successful candidates were drawn from all 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory in line with the federal character principle.
The Customs chief advised successful applicants to await official notifications regarding their physical and medical screening, warning members of the public against fraudsters demanding payment in exchange for employment.
He reiterated that recruitment into the Nigeria Customs Service is entirely free and urged anyone approached for money to report such individuals to the Service and relevant security agencies.
