Customs invites 3,852 successful applicants for final screening

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has commenced the concluding phase of its 2024/2025 recruitment exercise, with 3,852 shortlisted applicants invited for physical screening and documentation in Abuja.

The exercise is scheduled to hold at the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College, Gwagwalada, according to a statement issued on Tuesday by the Service’s National Public Relations Officer, Deputy Comptroller Abdullahi Maiwada, on behalf of the Comptroller-General, Bashir Adeniyi.

The shortlisted candidates emerged from 573,680 applications received by the Service, making the recruitment one of its most competitive exercises.

Only 3,852 applicants were selected, representing a success rate of 0.67 per cent, or approximately one successful candidate for every 148 applications.

The Customs Service said candidates must attend the exercise on the dates assigned to their respective states and cadres, warning that failure to appear as scheduled could result in disqualification.

Applicants are expected to present both original and photocopies of their documents, including their National Identification Number, birth certificate or declaration of age, relevant educational certificates and certificate of state of origin.

They must also provide two recent passport photographs, a completed guarantor’s form and an NYSC certificate where applicable.

For the physical exercise, the Service directed candidates to wear a white T-shirt, shorts and canvas shoes.

The screening marks the latest development in a recruitment process that began in December 2024 and has faced a prolonged timeline.

Adeniyi had apologised to applicants over the delay when the Service announced the final shortlist in August, explaining that the unusually large number of applications required extensive screening and verification.

The final appointments cover three cadres: 1,275 positions in the Superintendent Cadre, 367 in the Inspectorate Cadre and 2,210 in the Customs Assistant Cadre.

Competition was particularly intense in the Superintendent and Inspectorate cadres. The Superintendent Cadre attracted 276,995 applications for 1,275 vacancies, translating to roughly one successful applicant for every 217 candidates.

The Inspectorate Cadre recorded 128,604 applications for 367 positions, or approximately one successful candidate for every 350 applicants.

For the Customs Assistant Cadre, 168,081 applications were received for 2,210 positions, giving a ratio of about one successful candidate to 76 applicants.

Before the latest stage, shortlisted applicants were given access to a portal to update their personal information, upload medical fitness certificates from government-approved hospitals and accept their provisional appointment offers.

The Service said candidates who successfully complete the physical screening and documentation would be informed of the next steps in the recruitment process.

Customs also renewed its warning against fraudsters seeking to exploit applicants, insisting that recruitment into the Service is free.

Adeniyi said no applicant was required to pay for a place on the final list, urging anyone who demands money in connection with the exercise to be reported to the Service and relevant security agencies.

Meanwhile, the Comptroller-General announced a change in the Service’s recruitment policy, saying future recruitment would be conducted annually rather than at irregular intervals.

He said the 2026 recruitment exercise was expected to commence later in the year and would be completed within a single calendar year, from advertisement through the publication of the final list.

According to him, the new system would allow the NCS to plan recruitment more effectively around retirements and manpower requirements while giving prospective applicants greater certainty about when recruitment opportunities would arise.