By Abigail David
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has released the final list of successful candidates for its 2024/2025 recruitment exercise, selecting 3,852 applicants from a total of 573,680 applications.
Announcing the results at a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, Comptroller-General of Customs Adewale Adeniyi described the recruitment as one of the most competitive in the agency’s history, with only 0.67 per cent of applicants securing employment.
The successful candidates comprise 1,275 officers for the Superintendent Cadre, 367 for the Inspectorate Cadre and 2,210 for the Customs Assistant Cadre.
Adeniyi apologised for the delay in concluding the exercise, explaining that the recruitment, which began in December 2024, required extensive verification due to the unprecedented number of applications and multiple stages of screening.
According to him, applicants underwent application screening, computer-based examinations and identity verification before the final list was compiled. Successful candidates will now proceed to physical and medical examinations before final approval by the Customs Board.
The Comptroller-General noted that the Inspectorate Cadre was the most competitive category, with 128,604 applications for just 367 positions. Overall, only one applicant was selected for every 148 applications received.
He encouraged unsuccessful applicants not to lose hope, stressing that many met the requirements but could not be accommodated because of the limited vacancies. He also assured them that future recruitment opportunities would be announced.
Adeniyi said the recruitment complied with the Federal Character principle, with all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory represented in the final list. Women accounted for 839 successful candidates, representing 21.8 per cent of the total intake.
He added that the new recruits, with a median age of 26, are expected to support the Service’s transition to a technology-driven customs administration focused on automation, intelligence-led operations and improved trade facilitation.
The Customs boss also warned applicants against fraudsters, reiterating that recruitment into the Service is free and that anyone demanding payment in exchange for employment should be reported.
