Customs recruitment: FCC demands suspension, probe of irregularities

The Federal Character Commission (FCC) has demanded the immediate suspension of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) recruitment exercise and the release of recruitment records for investigation over alleged breaches of federal character principles.

The commission’s demand follows complaints by applicants who claimed they were excluded from training despite appearing on the published list of 3,852 successful candidates, while some whose names were allegedly missing from the list were invited to complete documentation and resume training.

Chairman of the FCC Financial Services Committee, Abdulwasiu Bawa-Allah, made the demand at a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday, accusing the Customs Service of conducting the exercise without the commission’s monitoring and oversight.

Bawa-Allah said the commission had a constitutional responsibility to monitor and enforce compliance with federal character principles in recruitment and appointments across federal ministries, departments and agencies.

He added that correspondence sent to the NCS over the alleged irregularities had reportedly gone unanswered, making an investigation necessary to establish whether the exercise complied with approved distribution formulas for states and the Federal Capital Territory.

“It is deeply troubling that the NCS conducted this exercise without the commission’s monitoring and oversight,” he said.

The FCC chairman stressed that the commission was not seeking to compel the recruitment of unqualified candidates but wanted qualified applicants from all parts of the country to receive fair consideration.

“For clarity, the commission is not asking that unqualified candidates be recruited. The FCC does not replace merit,” Bawa-Allah said.

“It requires suitably qualified candidates from all parts of Nigeria to receive equitable opportunities through transparent, verifiable and nationally inclusive procedures.”

He said the commission had therefore called on the NCS and its Comptroller-General to suspend the exercise immediately and submit relevant records to enable it to investigate the allegations.

The controversy comes after the Customs Service acknowledged complaints from applicants who said they were screened out of the final phase despite appearing on the published shortlist.

In a statement issued on October 19, the NCS said it had taken note of concerns raised by candidates who were allegedly prevented from proceeding to the training college.

The aggrieved applicants had earlier appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene, alleging discrepancies in the final recruitment process and calling for transparency in the selection of candidates for training scheduled to begin on October 9, 2026.

In a letter to the President, the applicants described themselves as candidates who had received provisional appointments and completed the required selection stages.

They said the recruitment exercise, which began in December 2024, culminated in the publication of a list of 3,852 successful candidates expected to proceed to training after documentation and medical screening.

However, the applicants alleged that some candidates, particularly in the Superintendent Cadre, whose names did not appear on the published list had subsequently been contacted for documentation and sent invitations to resume training.

The development, they said, had left candidates on the published list confused about their employment status.

“The Nigerian Customs Service, which started recruitment in December 2024, made applicants scale through various selection processes and finally published a list of 3,852 successful candidates who were to proceed to training after documentation and medical screening,” the applicants said in the letter.

“But as we write you this letter, things have surprisingly taken a new twist, as candidates whose names were not on the final list, especially in the Superintendent Cadre, were, since last week, called upon for documentation and subsequently sent emails to resume training slated for October 9, 2026, leaving behind those who had suffered the rigorous stress of selection in the recruitment process.”

The applicants urged Tinubu to review the process and ensure that the final phase reflected the published list and the outcomes of the selection exercise. They said they had attached the list of successful candidates, organised by state, to support their appeal.

The letter was copied to the Chief of Staff to the President, the Minister of Finance, the NCS, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the National Assembly.

Bawa-Allah said compliance with federal character requirements was essential to ensuring that qualified Nigerians received equitable opportunities, irrespective of their state of origin, ethnicity, religion, political affiliation or social connections.

“It is worthy to note that the FCC is not an advisory body that federal establishments may recognise only when convenient,” he said.

The commission’s demand adds pressure on the Customs Service to clarify the recruitment process as affected applicants await a resolution of the alleged discrepancies. The allegations have yet to be established by an independent investigation.