By Abigail David
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced that it will begin conducting recruitment exercises annually, marking a shift from its previous practice of recruiting at irregular intervals.
Comptroller-General of Customs Adewale Adeniyi made the announcement on Tuesday during a briefing at the Service headquarters in Abuja while unveiling the final list of successful candidates for the 2024/2025 recruitment exercise.
According to Adeniyi, the new recruitment policy is designed to improve workforce planning by ensuring vacancies created through retirements and other exits are filled promptly, while providing young Nigerians with regular employment opportunities.
He said the Service has established the necessary screening, verification and recruitment systems to support a more efficient annual process.
“The Nigeria Customs Service is moving to an annual recruitment cycle. Recruitment will no longer be an occasional exercise but a predictable yearly process,” Adeniyi said.
He disclosed that the 2026 recruitment exercise is expected to begin later this year and is planned to be completed within a single calendar year, from the advertisement stage to the release of the final list of successful candidates.
The Comptroller-General explained that the extended timeline for the 2024/2025 recruitment exercise was largely due to the development of a comprehensive recruitment framework, which will now serve as the foundation for future exercises.
He added that the annual recruitment model will enable the Service to plan its manpower needs more effectively and provide unsuccessful applicants with a clear timeline for future opportunities instead of waiting several years for another recruitment exercise.
The announcement comes after the conclusion of the 2024/2025 recruitment exercise, during which 3,852 candidates were offered appointments across the Superintendent, Inspectorate and Customs Assistant cadres.
