The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced plans to introduce an annual recruitment exercise as part of efforts to ensure a more predictable and efficient manpower planning process.
Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed this on Tuesday while presenting the final list of successful candidates for the 2024/2025 recruitment exercise at the Service headquarters in Abuja.
Adeniyi said recruitment into the Service would no longer be conducted at irregular intervals but would become a structured yearly exercise, with the 2026 recruitment expected to begin later this year and be concluded within the same calendar year.
He explained that the new approach would provide aspiring applicants with a clear timeline for future opportunities, eliminating prolonged uncertainty over recruitment announcements.
The Comptroller-General noted that the systems, screening architecture and verification processes developed during the recently concluded exercise had now been fully established, enabling future recruitment exercises to be conducted more efficiently.
The Service also announced the release of the final list of 3,852 successful candidates, concluding a nationwide recruitment process that commenced in December 2024.
According to the breakdown, 1,275 candidates were recruited into the Superintendent Cadre, 367 into the Inspectorate Cadre and 2,210 into the Customs Assistant Cadre.
Adeniyi disclosed that the recruitment exercise attracted 573,680 applications for the available positions, with all applicants undergoing computer-based tests and credential verification using the national identity database.
He attributed the delay in concluding the exercise to the large volume of applications and the high number of retirements among senior officers.
The Customs boss maintained that the recruitment process was merit-based and transparent, adding that the Federal Character principle was fully observed to ensure representation from all states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.