Customs Summons 3,852 Applicants For Final Screening
The Nigeria Customs Service has moved to the final phase of its 2024/2025 recruitment exercise, with 3,852 successful applicants scheduled to undergo physical screening and documentation in Abuja.
The shortlisted candidates are expected to report at the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College, Gwagwalada, where their documents and other requirements will be verified as part of the concluding stage of the recruitment process.
The recruitment exercise attracted an unprecedented 573,680 applications, but only 3,852 candidates made the final list, highlighting the intense competition for the available positions. The successful applicants comprise 1,275 candidates for the Superintendent Cadre, 367 for the Inspectorate Cadre and 2,210 for the Customs Assistant Cadre.
The development was announced in a statement issued on Tuesday by the Service’s Deputy Comptroller and National Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Maiwada, on behalf of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi.
According to the Service, shortlisted applicants must attend the screening with the original and photocopies of their required credentials, including their National Identification Number, birth certificate or declaration of age, educational certificates, certificate of state of origin, two recent passport photographs, completed guarantor’s form and NYSC certificate where applicable.
Candidates are also expected to appear in a white T-shirt, shorts and canvas shoes during the physical screening exercise. The Service warned that attendance is compulsory and applicants must report strictly on the date assigned to their respective states and cadres.
It further cautioned that failure to appear as scheduled could result in disqualification from the recruitment exercise.
The recruitment process, which commenced in December 2024, has taken almost two years to reach its final stage. The prolonged exercise had generated concerns among applicants, prompting the Customs management to apologise for the delay when the final list was released in August.
Adeniyi explained that the large number of applications and the extensive verification process contributed to the length of the exercise. He noted that the Superintendent Cadre received 276,995 applications for 1,275 vacancies, while 128,604 applicants competed for 367 positions in the Inspectorate Cadre.
For the Customs Assistant Cadre, 168,081 applications were received for 2,210 available positions. Overall, the Service said only about one applicant out of every 148 was successful.
The Customs Service had earlier asked shortlisted candidates to update their information on its recruitment portal, upload medical certificates of fitness issued by government-recognised hospitals and accept their provisional offers of appointment.
The Service has also renewed its warning against recruitment fraud, stressing that the exercise is completely free. Adeniyi urged applicants to report anyone demanding money in exchange for employment.
Meanwhile, the Customs Comptroller-General disclosed that the Service plans to adopt an annual recruitment system, replacing the previous irregular recruitment pattern. He said the 2026 recruitment exercise is expected to commence later this year and is designed to run from advertisement to the release of the final list within one calendar year.
