The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has officially released the final list of successful candidates for its 2024/2025 nationwide recruitment exercise, with only 3,852 applicants securing employment from a total of 573,680 applications received across the country.
The announcement was made on Tuesday in Abuja by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, who described the exercise as one of the most competitive recruitment processes in the history of the Service.
According to the Customs boss, the recruitment recorded an overall success rate of just 0.67 percent, meaning only one out of every 148 applicants was selected after a rigorous screening process.
A breakdown of the successful candidates shows that 1,275 were recruited into the Superintendent Cadre, 367 into the Inspectorate Cadre, and 2,210 into the Customs Assistant Cadre.
Adeniyi explained that the recruitment exercise began in December 2024 and lasted approximately 20 months due to the massive number of applications, comprehensive verification procedures, and the Service’s commitment to conducting a transparent and merit-based recruitment process.
He apologized to applicants and their families for the lengthy wait, stating that the delay resulted from the need to thoroughly evaluate every application through several stages, including computer-based tests, document verification, and identity authentication using the National Identity Database.
The Comptroller-General revealed that the Superintendent Cadre received 276,995 applications for only 1,275 available positions, translating to one successful candidate for every 217 applicants.
The Inspectorate Cadre proved to be the most competitive category, attracting 128,604 applications for just 367 vacancies, with only one applicant selected from every 350 candidates.
Meanwhile, the Customs Assistant Cadre received 168,081 applications for 2,210 positions, giving applicants a relatively better chance, with one successful candidate emerging from every 76 applicants.
Adeniyi encouraged the more than 560,000 unsuccessful applicants not to be discouraged, emphasizing that many met the recruitment requirements but could not be selected because of the limited number of available vacancies.
He further confirmed that the recruitment exercise strictly complied with the Federal Character principle, ensuring equitable representation across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
According to him, every state received 105 recruitment slots, made up of 35 Superintendent positions, 10 Inspectorate positions, and 60 Customs Assistant positions, while the FCT was allocated 72 positions.
By geopolitical zones, the North-West secured the highest allocation with 735 positions. The North-Central, including the FCT, received 702 positions, while the North-East, South-South, and South-West each obtained 630 positions. The South-East was allocated 525 positions.
The Customs boss also disclosed that 839 women were among the successful candidates, representing 21.8 percent of the total intake. He noted that the figure slightly exceeded the proportion of female applicants and reaffirmed the Service’s commitment to encouraging more qualified women to pursue careers in customs, particularly in operational and enforcement roles.
Highlighting the profile of the successful candidates, Adeniyi stated that the median age of the new recruits is 26 years, describing them as a youthful workforce expected to support the Service’s transition toward a modern, technology-driven customs administration.
He announced that all successful candidates would proceed to physical and medical examinations, followed by a final Board-level review before being admitted for training.
The Comptroller-General also warned successful applicants and members of the public to beware of fraudsters demanding payment in exchange for employment, stressing that recruitment into the Nigeria Customs Service is completely free.
He urged candidates to ignore anyone requesting money on behalf of the Service and report such individuals to the appropriate security agencies.
Adeniyi added that all successful applicants would only receive official communication through the contact details provided during their applications and advised candidates to rely solely on official channels for recruitment updates.
Congratulating the successful candidates, he reminded them that serving in the Nigeria Customs Service requires professionalism, discipline, integrity, and dedication to national service.
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The 2024/2025 recruitment exercise forms part of the Service’s broader efforts to strengthen its workforce amid increasing responsibilities in border security, revenue generation, trade facilitation, anti-smuggling operations, and ongoing technology-driven customs reforms.
