Customs recruits 3,852 from 573,680 applicants in 2024/2025 exercise – CGC Bashir Adeniyi
*Apologies as Service boss explains reason for delay in exercise conclusion
By KEMI KASUMU
“To those who were not successful: our doors will open again, and sooner than before,” Adeniyi said.
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has released the final list of 3,852 successful candidates selected from 573,680 applicants who participated in its 2024/2025 recruitment exercise.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, made the announcement during a press briefing, stating that the successful candidates were selected across three entry cadres: 1,275 candidates for the Superintendent Cadre, 367 for the Inspectorate Cadre and 2,210 for the Customs Assistant Cadre.
According to him, the release of the list marks the conclusion of the recruitment exercise, which commenced in December 2024.
Adeniyi apologised to applicants and their families for the prolonged recruitment process, explaining that the exercise took longer than initially anticipated due to the unusually high volume of applications, extensive verification procedures and significant turnover among senior and management personnel within the Service.
He said the Service received a total of 573,680 applications for only 3,852 available positions, adding that every application underwent screening, computer-based testing and credential verification against the national identity database.
“Where a record did not reconcile, we went back and checked it again,” the Customs boss said, explaining that successful candidates would now proceed to physical and medical assessments, followed by a final review at the Board level.
He stressed that the extended timeline was necessary to ensure that only qualified candidates emerged from the highly competitive process.
According to the Comptroller-General, the overall selection rate was 0.67 per cent, representing approximately one successful candidate for every 148 applicants.
The Superintendent Cadre attracted 276,995 applications for 1,275 positions, translating to a selection ratio of approximately one in 217 applicants. The Inspectorate Cadre was the most competitive, with 128,604 applicants competing for only 367 positions, or roughly one successful candidate in every 350 applicants.
The Customs Assistant Cadre received 168,081 applications for 2,210 positions, giving a selection ratio of approximately one in 76.
Adeniyi urged unsuccessful applicants not to be discouraged, noting that the large majority of them were eliminated because of the intense competition rather than failure to meet the basic requirements.
He assured them that the Service would continue to provide opportunities for qualified Nigerians, particularly with the planned transition to an annual recruitment system.
“To the more than 560,000 Nigerians who applied and whose names are not on this list, you were not rejected; you were unlucky in a field of extraordinary competition,” he said.
The Customs chief also disclosed that the final recruitment list reflects Nigeria’s federal character principle, with all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory represented.
He said each of the 36 states received an equal allocation of 105 positions, comprising 35 places in the Superintendent Cadre, 10 in the Inspectorate Cadre and 60 in the Customs Assistant Cadre.
The Federal Capital Territory, according to him, received 72 positions in line with the applicable allocation formula.
Adeniyi explained that the North-West has 735 positions, while the North-Central has 702, including the Federal Capital Territory. The North-East, South-South and South-West each have 630 positions, while the South-East has 525.
He emphasised that the differences in zonal figures were solely a reflection of the number of states in each geopolitical zone, insisting that no individual officer of the Nigeria Customs Service exercised discretionary powers in allocating the positions.
On gender representation, Adeniyi said 839 women, representing 21.8 per cent of the 3,852 successful candidates, were selected.
He noted that women accounted for 21.2 per cent of the total applications, meaning their representation among successful candidates was marginally higher than their proportion of the applicant pool.
The Comptroller-General said 121,479 women applied, with 839 eventually selected, representing approximately one successful candidate for every 144 female applicants. In comparison, 452,198 men applied, with 3,011 selected, or approximately one in every 150 male applicants.
He said the selection ratio favoured women in two of the three cadres, particularly in the Customs Assistant and Inspectorate cadres, while male applicants had a marginal advantage in the Superintendent Cadre.
Adeniyi attributed the overall gender distribution partly to the nature of the available vacancies, noting that about 85 per cent of the positions were in core enforcement and general duty functions, including anti-smuggling operations, border duties and field examination, which often involve physically demanding assignments and personal risks.
He, however, said the Service would intensify efforts to attract more qualified women into its enforcement stream in future recruitment exercises.
The recruitment exercise also produced a relatively young workforce, with the median age of successful candidates put at 26 years.
The median age was 29 years for the Superintendent Cadre, 27 years for the Inspectorate Cadre and 24 years for the Customs Assistant Cadre, with nearly three-quarters of the successful candidates below the age of 30.
Adeniyi said the youthful composition of the intake was significant because the new officers would form a major part of the Service’s workforce over the next three decades, at a time when customs administration globally is increasingly driven by technology, data analytics and automated risk management.
Addressing the issue of institutional stability, the Comptroller-General acknowledged that the Nigeria Customs Service had experienced a significant number of retirements among experienced officers over the past two years.
He described the development as part of the normal operation of the Public Service Rules, stressing that the key issue was how effectively the institution managed the transition.
According to him, the Service has remained stable, with its operational, revenue-generation and enforcement activities sustained despite the changes in its senior and management cadre.
He attributed the stability to the support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the guidance of the Nigeria Customs Service Board under the chairmanship of the Minister of Finance, and the professionalism of officers and men of the Service.
The Comptroller-General, however, announced a major change in the Service’s recruitment policy, declaring that the Nigeria Customs Service would henceforth adopt an annual recruitment cycle.
He said recruitment would no longer be conducted only occasionally or after several years, but would become a predictable yearly exercise.
“The 2026 Recruitment Exercise will open later this year,” Adeniyi announced, adding that his intention was for the entire process, from advertisement to the release of the final list, to be completed within a single calendar year.
He explained that the systems, screening architecture and verification mechanisms developed during the 2024/2025 exercise would be retained and improved upon, thereby reducing the likelihood of the prolonged delays experienced in the current cycle.
According to him, an annual recruitment programme would enable the Service to plan its manpower requirements more effectively in anticipation of retirements while also providing applicants with greater certainty about future opportunities.
Successful candidates in the current exercise, he disclosed, would be contacted directly through the details provided in their applications and advised to monitor only the official communication channels of the Nigeria Customs Service.
Adeniyi reiterated that recruitment into the Nigeria Customs Service is completely free, warning successful candidates and members of the public against individuals or groups demanding money in exchange for recruitment slots.
“No candidate has paid, and no candidate should pay, any person or group for a place on this list,” he warned, adding that anyone soliciting money on behalf of the Service should be reported to the appropriate authorities.
Congratulating the 3,852 successful candidates, the Comptroller-General urged them to recognise the responsibility attached to their new positions and to uphold the standards and traditions of the Nigeria Customs Service.
He also reassured unsuccessful applicants that the Service would provide another opportunity through the newly introduced annual recruitment cycle.
“To those who were not successful: our doors will open again, and sooner than before,” Adeniyi said.
