By Seun Ibiyemi
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has released the final list of 3,852 successful candidates for its 2024/2025 recruitment exercise, marking the conclusion of a highly competitive selection process that attracted 573,680 applications nationwide.
Speaking during a press briefing on Tuesday, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi said the successful candidates comprise 1,275 for the Superintendent Cadre, 367 for the Inspectorate Cadre, and 2,210 for the Customs Assistant Cadre.
The Customs boss acknowledged the prolonged recruitment process, apologising to applicants and their families for the delay, which stretched from the exercise’s commencement in December 2024 to August 2026.
He attributed the delay to the unprecedented volume of applications, extensive verification procedures, and significant retirements within the Service’s senior management, stressing that the process was designed to ensure only qualified candidates emerged.
According to him, every successful applicant underwent multiple stages of screening, including application verification, computer-based testing, credential authentication against the national identity database, with successful candidates now expected to undergo physical and medical assessments before final approval by the Nigeria Customs Service Board.
The Comptroller-General described the recruitment as one of the most competitive in the agency’s history, noting that only 0.67 per cent of applicants secured employment, representing approximately one successful candidate for every 148 applicants.
He disclosed that the Inspectorate Cadre recorded the highest level of competition, with one successful candidate emerging from every 350 applicants, while the Superintendent Cadre recorded a ratio of one in 217 and the Customs Assistant Cadre one in 76.
Addressing unsuccessful applicants, the Customs chief urged them not to lose hope, saying many met the required standards but were limited by the available vacancies.
He encouraged them to prepare for future opportunities.
On geographical spread, he said all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory were represented in the recruitment, with each state allocated 105 positions across the three cadres, while the FCT received 72 slots in line with the Federal Character principle.
He maintained that no state received preferential treatment, adding that allocations were based strictly on constitutional provisions.
The Comptroller-General also highlighted gender representation, revealing that 839 women, representing 21.8 per cent of successful candidates, secured employment.
He noted that female applicants had a slightly higher success rate than their male counterparts, with one in every 144 female applicants selected compared to one in every 150 male applicants.
According to him, the lower overall representation of women reflected the smaller number of female applicants for physically demanding enforcement and border operations roles, adding that the Service would intensify efforts to attract more qualified women into enforcement duties in future recruitment exercises.
He further disclosed that the median age of successful candidates is 26 years, with nearly three-quarters of recruits below the age of 30, describing the intake as a strategic investment in a younger workforce capable of adapting to technology-driven customs administration.
In a major policy announcement, the Customs chief said the Service would henceforth conduct recruitment annually rather than at irregular intervals.
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He announced that the 2026 recruitment exercise would commence later this year and expressed confidence that future recruitment would be completed within a single calendar year, from advertisement to the publication of the final list.
According to him, the annual recruitment system will enable the Service to plan manpower requirements more efficiently while providing regular employment opportunities for qualified Nigerian youths.
He warned successful candidates and the general public against recruitment fraud, reiterating that recruitment into the Nigeria Customs Service remains free of charge and advising applicants to rely only on official communication channels.
The Comptroller-General congratulated the successful candidates and urged them to uphold the values and professionalism of the Service, while assuring unsuccessful applicants that another recruitment opportunity would be available later this year.
