The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) recruitment exercise suffered a major setback on Monday as thousands of applicants were unable to access the agency’s pre-test portal, which repeatedly crashed during the scheduled trial run.
The online pre-test was designed to help candidates familiarize themselves with the system ahead of the official computer-based test (CBT). However, applicants encountered error messages such as “500 Internal Server Error,” leaving many stranded in cybercafés, offices, and homes across the country.
Frustration quickly spilled onto social media, where videos and posts showed candidates refreshing their browsers for hours without success. An X user, @musa_kiliya, advised the Customs Service to consider dividing applicants into smaller groups, noting that overcrowded cafés worsened access difficulties. Another user, @De_Kennedys, questioned the competence of the agency’s developers, asking why load balancing was not properly implemented.
On Facebook, Sani Sa’ad Bunza shared how his friend spent over an hour refreshing the portal without logging in, while @Sandraa20k on X complained about being stuck on the facial capture stage for two hours. Similarly, @MUSTYAAU raised doubts over the credibility of the recruitment process given the technical lapses.
Read also:
- Nigeria customs service warns against fraudulent emails in recruitment process
- FG releases list of shortlisted candidates for recruitment into civil service
- Nigeria Customs Service grows revenue by 74% from N2.58tr to N4.5tr in one year
In response, the Nigeria Customs Service acknowledged the technical glitches in a statement released on its official Facebook page. The agency attributed the crash to overwhelming traffic on the site and assured applicants that its technical team was working to stabilize the system.
“We are currently experiencing significant traffic on the site, which may lead to temporary inaccessibility. Please keep trying as our team works to fix the issue,” the statement read.
Despite the assurances, many candidates remain anxious about the integrity of the recruitment process, with some calling on the agency to reschedule the test or adopt a more reliable platform. As anticipation builds for the official CBT, attention now turns to whether the NCS can regain the confidence of thousands of job seekers still waiting for a fair and seamless process.
