NCS Unveils 3,852 Successful Recruits, Introduces Annual Recruitment Exercise

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced the names of 3,852 successful candidates for its 2024/2025 recruitment exercise, while unveiling plans to commence annual recruitment to ensure a more predictable and efficient manpower development process.

Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed this on Tuesday at the Service Headquarters in Abuja during the release of the final recruitment list.

He said the Service had adopted a yearly recruitment cycle, ending the practice of conducting recruitment exercises at irregular intervals.

"The Nigeria Customs Service is moving to an annual recruitment cycle. Recruitment will no longer be an occasional event undertaken every several years. It will be a standing, predictable, yearly process," Adeniyi said.

According to him, the 2026 recruitment exercise will commence later this year and will be completed within the same calendar year—from advertisement to the publication of the final list.

He explained that the annual system would provide young Nigerians with a clear timeline for future opportunities if they are unsuccessful in any recruitment cycle.

"It means that a young Nigerian who is unsuccessful this year knows precisely when the next opportunity arrives, rather than waiting in uncertainty for an announcement that may be years in coming," he added.

The Comptroller-General noted that the systems, screening architecture and verification processes developed during the just-concluded exercise have now been fully established, making future recruitment exercises faster and more efficient.

He attributed the delay in concluding the 2024/2025 exercise to the unprecedented number of applications received and the extensive work required to build a credible recruitment framework.

The Service received 573,680 applications for 3,852 available positions. Applicants underwent multiple stages of screening, including computer-based tests and credential verification using the National Identity database.

The successful candidates comprise 1,275 in the Superintendent Cadre, 367 in the Inspectorate Cadre and 2,210 in the Customs Assistant Cadre.

Adeniyi maintained that the recruitment process was strictly merit-based and conducted with transparency, adding that all states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory were represented in line with the Federal Character principle.

He advised successful candidates to await official notification for the next phase of the exercise, including physical and medical screening.

The Customs boss also warned applicants against fraudsters demanding payment for employment, stressing that recruitment into the Nigeria Customs Service remains free of charge.

"Anyone approached for money should report such individuals to the Service and relevant security agencies," he said.