Why only 3,852 out of 573,680 applicants were hired by Customs — CG Adeniyi

The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Adewale Adeniyi, has explained why only 3,852 applicants were selected from the 573,680 Nigerians who applied for the Service’s 2024/2025 recruitment exercise.

Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, Adeniyi said the recruitment process was highly competitive, with only 0.67 per cent of applicants making the final list.

He disclosed that the successful candidates were recruited into three entry cadres of the Service, comprising 1,275 officers for the Superintendent Cadre, 367 for the Inspectorate Cadre and 2,210 for the Customs Assistant Cadre.

Adeniyi also apologised to applicants for the prolonged recruitment process, which lasted about 20 months from December 2024 to August 2026.

“I am pleased to announce the release of the final list of successful candidates in the 2024/2025 Recruitment Exercise of the Nigeria Customs Service.

“A total of 3,852 candidates have been offered places across the three cadres of entry: 1,275 in the Superintendent Cadre, 367 in the Inspectorate Cadre and 2,210 in the Customs Assistant Cadre. This is the final list, and it concludes the exercise that opened in December 2024,” he said.

Explaining the delay, the Customs boss said the unprecedented number of applications and the need to ensure a transparent selection process contributed to the extended timeline.

“Let me begin with the matter uppermost in the minds of many of the young Nigerians who applied, and of their families. This exercise has taken longer than any of us intended.

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“On behalf of the Service, I offer my sincere apologies to every applicant who has waited, and to the parents and guardians who waited with them. That wait was real, and I do not diminish it,” Adeniyi said.

According to him, every application went through multiple stages of screening and verification before the final selection was made.

““I owe you an explanation rather than an excuse. Several factors extended the timeline. The volume alone was extraordinary: the Service received 573,680 applications for 3,852 places. Every one of those applications had to be received, verified and assessed,” he said.

Adeniyi added that changes in the Service’s senior leadership during the recruitment period also affected the pace of the exercise.

“Above all, however, the time was taken because the Service was determined that the right candidates should emerge. Every candidate on this list has passed through several distinct layers of scrutiny: application screening, computer-based examination, and verification of credentials against the national identity database.

“Where a record did not reconcile, we went back and checked it again. Successful candidates will now proceed to physical and medical assessment, and to a final review at Board level. That is the honest reason this list is issued in August 2026 rather than in March,” he said.

The Comptroller-General described the recruitment as one of the most competitive in the Service’s history, noting that there was approximately one successful applicant for every 148 candidates.

He said the Inspectorate Cadre recorded the stiffest competition, with 128,604 applications for just 367 positions, while the Superintendent Cadre received 276,995 applications for 1,275 vacancies. The Customs Assistant Cadre attracted 168,081 applicants for 2,210 available positions.

Addressing applicants who were not selected, Adeniyi urged them not to lose hope, stressing that many met the recruitment requirements but could not be accommodated because of the limited vacancies.

“I want to speak directly to the more than 560,000 Nigerians who applied and whose names are not on this list. You were not rejected; you were unlucky in a field of extraordinary competition.

“Many of you met every requirement the Service set. There were simply not enough places. I encourage you to remain engaged with the Service, to keep your credentials current, and to apply again. As I will explain shortly, the next opportunity is not years away,” he said.

Adeniyi also assured the public that the recruitment followed the Federal Character principle, with all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory represented in the final list.

“The allocation is equal across states by design. Each of the 36 states receives an identical number of places in each cadre.

“No state received more than another. Not one place was allocated at the discretion of any officer of this Service. The Federal Character principle has been applied in full,” Adeniyi said.

He warned successful applicants against fraudsters, reiterating that recruitment into the Nigeria Customs Service is free and that anyone demanding payment for employment should be reported.