The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has released the final list of 3,852 successful candidates for its 2024/2025 recruitment exercise, ending an eight-month selection process that attracted over 573,000 applications nationwide.

Announcing the results in a press statement on Tuesday, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Dr Bashir Adeniyi, said the successful candidates comprise 1,275 officers in the Superintendent Cadre, 367 in the Inspectorate Cadre and 2,210 in the Customs Assistant Cadre.

Adeniyi also announced that the 2026 recruitment exercise scheduled to commence later this year and conclude within a single calendar year, while the Service would now conduct recruitment yearly.

Adeniyi said the Service received 573,680 applications for only 3,852 available positions, requiring each application to undergo multiple stages of screening, including computer-based examinations and verification of credentials against the national identity database.

The Customs boss described the recruitment as one of the most competitive exercises conducted by the Service, with an overall success rate of just 0.67 per cent, translating to one successful applicant for every 148 candidates.

According to him, the Superintendent Cadre recorded 276,995 applications for 1,275 vacancies, representing one successful candidate for every 217 applicants, while the Inspectorate Cadre emerged as the most competitive with 128,604 applications for only 367 positions, equivalent to one successful candidate for every 350 applicants.

He said the Customs Assistant Cadre attracted 168,081 applications for 2,210 vacancies, representing one successful candidate for every 76 applicants.
 
The Customs boss apologised to applicants and their families for the prolonged recruitment process, attributing the delay to the unprecedented number of applications, extensive verification procedures and a high rate of retirements among senior officers.
 
Adeniyi explained that successful candidates would still undergo physical and medical assessments before receiving final approval from the Customs Board.
 
The Comptroller-General said the recruitment reflected the federal character principle, with all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) represented.

 Adeniyi explained that each state received an equal allocation of 105 positions, comprising 35 Superintendent Cadre slots, 10 Inspectorate positions and 60 Customs Assistant vacancies, while the FCT received 72 positions in line with the approved formula.
 
On gender representation, he revealed that women secured 839 positions, representing 21.8 per cent of the total intake, slightly exceeding their proportion of applications, which stood at 21.2 per cent.
 
Adeniyi noted that female applicants recorded a slightly higher overall success rate than male applicants, particularly in the Customs Assistant and Inspectorate cadres.
 
According to Adeniyi, the relatively low number of female recruits reflected the nature of available vacancies, with about 85 per cent of the positions involving physically demanding enforcement, anti-smuggling and border operations, which attracted fewer female applicants.
 
The Comptroller-General also revealed that the successful candidates are largely young people, with a median age of 26 years, while nearly three-quarters of those selected are below 30 years.
 
The Customs boss said the youthful workforce would strengthen the Service’s capacity to embrace technology-driven customs administration, data analytics and automated risk management over the coming decades.
 
He, however, stressed that the recruitment process was conducted with integrity despite widespread interest from different quarters.
  
Adeniyi urged the over 560,000 unsuccessful applicants not to lose hope, noting that many met the recruitment requirements but could not be accommodated because of the limited vacancies.
 
The Customs boss assured prospective applicants that opportunities would become more frequent following the introduction of annual recruitment.
  
Adeniyi added that the NCS would intensify efforts to encourage more qualified women to apply for enforcement roles in future recruitment exercises.
  
He, however, attributed part of the delay in concluding the exercise to the retirement of many experienced officers in recent years.
 
Adeniyi maintained that the Service remained operationally stable and continued to sustain its revenue generation and enforcement performance.
 
He added that the adoption of an annual recruitment cycle would enable the Service to plan manpower requirements more effectively and ensure regular replacement of retiring personnel.
 
The Customs boss advised successful candidates to await official communication through the contact details provided during their applications and warned members of the public against recruitment fraud.
  
Adeniyi reiterated that recruitment into the Nigeria Customs Service remains free, warning that anyone demanding payment for employment should be reported to the Service and security agencies.