Customs releases 2024/2025 recruitment list: 3,852 candidates from 573,680 applications
By Aboki Forex —
The Nigeria Customs Service has finally released the final list of successful candidates for its 2024/2025 recruitment exercise. Comptroller-General Adewale Adeniyi confirmed that 3,852 applicants were offered employment from a total of 573,680 applications.
Full breakdown of successful candidates
Speaking at a press briefing at the Nigeria Customs Service headquarters in Abuja, Adeniyi said the successful candidates were distributed across three entry cadres. The Superintendent Cadre has 1,275 successful candidates, the Inspectorate Cadre has 367, while the Customs Assistant Cadre accounts for 2,210.
The recruitment exercise started in December 2024 and took about 20 months to complete. Adeniyi apologised for the long wait, describing the process as one of the most demanding recruitment exercises ever conducted by the Service. He said every application went through thorough screening, computer-based testing and verification against Nigeria's national identity database.
The numbers behind the selection
Competition was extremely stiff. Only 0.67 per cent of applicants secured employment, meaning roughly one successful candidate out of every 148 applicants. The breakdown by cadre shows varying levels of competition.
The Superintendent Cadre received 276,995 applications for 1,275 vacancies, translating to one successful candidate for every 217 applicants. The Inspectorate Cadre was the toughest, with 128,604 applications for only 367 positions, equivalent to one successful applicant per 350 candidates. The Customs Assistant Cadre received 168,081 applications, with 2,210 selected, representing one successful applicant per 76 applicants.
Adeniyi disclosed that the recruitment complied with the Federal Character principle. All 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory got representation, with each state receiving 105 slots across the three cadres and the FCT allocated 72 positions. He also revealed that 839 women, representing 21.8 per cent of successful candidates, secured appointments, slightly exceeding their share of total applications.
The median age of successful candidates is 26 years, reflecting the Service's commitment to building a younger workforce for its transition to technology-driven customs administration.
Customs moves to annual recruitment
Adeniyi announced that the Nigeria Customs Service has officially adopted a yearly recruitment cycle. Under the new arrangement, recruitment will no longer happen after several years but will become a predictable annual exercise. The 2026 recruitment exercise will commence later this year, and the Service intends to complete future recruitment processes within a single calendar year using the digital screening and verification systems already established.
The Customs boss said the move will enable Customs to replace retiring officers more efficiently while giving qualified Nigerians a regular opportunity to compete each year. He also warned applicants to ignore fraudsters demanding money in exchange for employment. Recruitment into the Nigeria Customs Service remains completely free, and anyone approached for payment should report such individuals to the Service and security agencies.