Customs Unveils Annual Recruitment Plan, Releases Final List of 3,852 Successful Applicants
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced a major shift in its recruitment policy with the introduction of an annual recruitment cycle, a move aimed at ensuring predictable workforce planning and faster employment processes, as it unveiled the final list of 3,852 successful candidates for the 2024/2025 recruitment exercise.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, made the announcement on Tuesday at the Service’s headquarters in Abuja while briefing journalists on the outcome of the nationwide recruitment exercise.
The new policy marks a departure from the previous practice of conducting recruitment exercises at irregular intervals. According to Adeniyi, the annual cycle will enable the Service to anticipate personnel needs based on scheduled retirements rather than waiting for staffing shortages before recruiting.
He said the Customs Service would collaborate closely with relevant government agencies, including the Federal Character Commission, while ensuring that annual budgetary provisions adequately support the recruitment programme to eliminate administrative bottlenecks.
“Recruitment will no longer be an occasional event undertaken every several years. It will be a standing, predictable, yearly process.
“The 2026 Recruitment Exercise will open later this year and it is my firm intention that it will be completed within a single calendar year from advertisement to final list.
“The systems, the screening architecture and the verification processes built during this exercise now exist and they will not have to be built again,” he said.
Adeniyi explained that the annual recruitment calendar would not only improve manpower planning but also provide certainty for unsuccessful applicants by giving them a clear timeline for future opportunities.
The Comptroller-General disclosed that the 2024/2025 exercise attracted an overwhelming 573,680 applications for only 3,852 available positions, translating to an overall success rate of just 0.67 per cent—approximately one successful candidate for every 148 applicants.
A breakdown of the successful candidates shows that 1,275 were recruited into the Superintendent Cadre, 367 into the Inspectorate Cadre and 2,210 into the Customs Assistant Cadre.
He said the recruitment reflected the Federal Character principle, with all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory represented in the final selection.
According to him, each state received 105 slots, comprising 35 positions in the Superintendent Cadre, 10 in the Inspectorate Cadre and 60 in the Customs Assistant Cadre, while the FCT was allocated 72 positions.
Adeniyi stressed that the allocation process was transparent and strictly guided by constitutional provisions.
“The Federal Character principle was applied in full,” he said, adding that no place was allocated at the discretion of any officer.
On gender representation, the Customs boss said women accounted for 839 of the successful candidates, representing 21.8 per cent of the total intake.
He noted that female applicants made up 21.2 per cent of the overall applications and expressed the Service’s commitment to increasing women’s participation in future recruitment exercises, particularly in operational and enforcement roles.
The Comptroller-General also revealed that the median age of successful candidates was 26 years, with nearly three-quarters of those recruited below the age of 30, reflecting the Service’s emphasis on building a youthful workforce.
Explaining why the recruitment process lasted longer than initially anticipated, Adeniyi cited the unprecedented number of applications and the rigorous screening procedures adopted to ensure transparency and credibility.
The exercise, he said, involved multiple stages, including application screening, computer-based examinations and verification of credentials using the National Identity database.
“Several factors extended the timeline. The volume alone was extraordinary: the service received 573,680 applications for 3,852 places.
“Every one of those applications had to be received, verified and assessed.
“The service also carried over this same period, an unusually high rate of retirement and turnover among its senior and management cadre, which placed real strain on the administrative machinery that runs an exercise of this size,” he explained.
He disclosed that the successful candidates would now proceed to physical and medical examinations before a final review and approval by the Customs Board.
Adeniyi said successful applicants would be contacted directly through the contact information provided during registration and advised them to rely solely on official communication channels of the Service.
He also warned applicants against falling victim to fraudsters, reiterating that recruitment into the Nigeria Customs Service remains entirely free of charge and merit-based.
“Anyone who solicits payment on our behalf is a criminal and should be reported to the service and to the security agencies,” he said.
The Comptroller-General congratulated the successful candidates and urged them to uphold the values, discipline and professionalism that define the Nigeria Customs Service as they prepare to begin their careers in the agency.
