Customs Releases Final List of 3,852 Successful Candidates, Introduces Annual Recruitment Exercise

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has released the final list of 3,852 successful candidates for its 2024/2025 recruitment exercise, bringing to a close a highly competitive selection process that attracted more than 573,000 applications nationwide.

Announcing the outcome during a press briefing, the Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, apologised to applicants and their families for the delay in concluding the exercise, attributing it to the rigorous screening process and administrative challenges arising from a high rate of retirements among senior officers.

According to the Customs boss, the successful candidates comprise 1,275 officers in the Superintendent Cadre, 367 in the Inspectorate Cadre and 2,210 in the Customs Assistant Cadre. 

He noted that the recruitment exercise, which commenced in December 2024, officially concludes with the release of the final list.

Adeniyi explained that the Service received 573,680 applications for only 3,852 available positions, making it one of the most competitive recruitment exercises in recent years.

"The wait was real, and I do not diminish it," he said, adding that every application underwent multiple layers of verification, including application screening, computer based testing and credential verification against the National Identity database.

He stated that successful candidates would still undergo physical and medical examinations, as well as a final review by the Nigeria Customs Service Board before formal appointment.

The Comptroller General stressed that the selection process was conducted strictly on merit, despite pressure from various quarters.

"I can confidently defend this list on its merits. The standards we set at the beginning of the process are the standards that produced it.

"The figures released by the Service indicate that only 0.67 per cent of applicants secured employment, translating to approximately one successful candidate out of every 148 applicants, he stated.

A breakdown of the competition shows that the Superintendent Cadre attracted 276,995 applications for 1,275 vacancies, representing a success ratio of one in 217 applicants. The Inspectorate Cadre emerged as the most competitive, with 128,604 applicants contesting 367 positions, or one in every 350 applicants. The Customs Assistant Cadre received 168,081 applications for 2,210 vacancies, giving a ratio of one successful applicant for every 76 candidates.

Addressing the over 560,000 unsuccessful applicants, Adeniyi encouraged them not to lose hope, noting that many met the recruitment requirements but were edged out due to the limited number of vacancies.

He assured them that another opportunity would come sooner than expected as the Service has now adopted an annual recruitment cycle.

On federal character compliance, the Customs chief disclosed that all 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory were represented in the recruitment.

Each state received 35 positions in the Superintendent Cadre, 10 in the Inspectorate Cadre and 60 in the Customs Assistant Cadre, totalling 105 positions per state, while the FCT received 72 slots in line with the approved allocation formula.

He emphasised that no state received preferential treatment and that the Federal Character principle was fully observed.

The recruitment also recorded increased female participation. Women accounted for 839 successful candidates, representing 21.8 per cent of the total intake, slightly higher than their 21.2 per cent share of total applications.

According to the statistics, female applicants had a marginally higher success rate than their male counterparts, particularly in the Inspectorate and Customs Assistant cadres.

Adeniyi, however, noted that the relatively low overall female representation reflected the fact that about 85 per cent of available positions were in physically demanding enforcement and border operations, which attracted fewer female applicants.

He pledged that the Service would intensify efforts to encourage more qualified women to apply for enforcement roles in future recruitment exercises.

The Comptroller General further revealed that the successful candidates represent a youthful workforce, with a median age of 26 years and nearly three-quarters of them below the age of 30.

He said the young intake would strengthen the Service as Customs administration increasingly embraces technology, automation and data-driven operations.

In what he described as a major policy shift, Adeniyi announced that the Nigeria Customs Service would henceforth conduct recruitment annually instead of at irregular intervals.

He disclosed that the 2026 recruitment exercise would commence later this year and expressed confidence that it would be completed within a single calendar year, from advertisement to the release of the final list.

According to him, the digital systems, screening architecture and verification mechanisms developed during the just-concluded exercise would significantly shorten future recruitment timelines.

He also reiterated that recruitment into the Nigeria Customs Service remains completely free of charge, warning applicants against fraudsters demanding payment in exchange for employment.

He urged successful candidates to rely only on official communication channels of the Service and report anyone soliciting money on behalf of the Nigeria Customs Service to the appropriate authorities.

Congratulating the newly recruited officers, Adeniyi described their selection as a remarkable achievement, noting that they emerged successful from a field of over half a million applicants and would now be expected to uphold the high standards and traditions of the Service.