The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has released the final list of successful applicants for its 2024/2025 recruitment exercise, with 3,852 candidates selected from a total of 573,680 applications.
Speaking during a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, described the exercise as one of the most competitive recruitment processes in the Service’s history, with only 0.67 per cent of applicants making the final list.
He said the successful candidates were distributed across the three entry cadres: 1,275 for the Superintendent Cadre, 367 for the Inspectorate Cadre, and 2,210 for the Customs Assistant Cadre.
According to Adeniyi, the recruitment exercise, which commenced in December 2024, experienced delays due to the overwhelming number of applications, administrative constraints and the need to maintain transparency throughout the selection process.
The recruitment process spanned 20 months, from its launch in December 2024 until the publication of the final list in 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.
“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.
“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 explained that the unprecedented volume of applications required multiple verification stages before the final list could be completed.
“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.
He added that retirements and staff turnover among senior officers also affected the Service’s administrative capacity to conclude the exercise sooner.
“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 noted that despite the large number of qualified applicants, only a limited number of vacancies were available, making the competition particularly intense.
He disclosed that only one applicant was successful for every 148 people who applied.
“The competition was severe. From 573,680 applications, 3,852 candidates were selected. That is an overall success rate of 0.67 per cent, or roughly one place for every 148 applicants,” Adeniyi said.
The Superintendent Cadre attracted 276,995 applications for 1,275 vacancies, translating to one successful applicant for every 217 candidates. The Inspectorate Cadre proved to be the most competitive, receiving 128,604 applications for just 367 positions, or one successful applicant out of every 350. Meanwhile, the Customs Assistant Cadre received 168,081 applications for 2,210 available positions, resulting in one successful applicant for every 76 candidates.
Adeniyi encouraged those who were unsuccessful not to lose hope, assuring them that another recruitment opportunity would come sooner than expected.
“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.
He also stated that the recruitment exercise fully complied with the Federal Character principle, with every state and the Federal Capital Territory represented in the final selection.
According to him, each of the 36 states received 105 positions, comprising 35 slots in the Superintendent Cadre, 10 in the Inspectorate Cadre and 60 in the Customs Assistant Cadre, while the FCT received 72 positions in line with the approved allocation formula.
“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.
Regionally, the North-West secured 735 positions, while the North-Central, including the FCT, received 702. The North-East, South-South and South-West each got 630 positions, while the South-East received 525.
Adeniyi further revealed that 839 women, representing 21.8 per cent of the successful candidates, made the final list. He noted that this slightly exceeded the proportion of female applicants.
“Women made up 21.2 per cent of the applications received. Their share of the places offered therefore slightly exceeds their share of the applications,” he said.
Out of 121,479 female applicants, 839 were selected, representing one successful candidate for every 144 applicants. Among men, 3,011 candidates were chosen from 452,198 applications, or one successful applicant for every 150 candidates.
Despite the figures, he said the Service intends to increase female participation, particularly in enforcement roles.
“The Service is not content to leave the matter there. We intend to work more deliberately on attracting qualified women into the enforcement stream in future exercises because a Customs administration that reflects the country it serves is a stronger administration,” Adeniyi said.
He described the successful candidates as a youthful workforce, noting that the median age of those selected is 26 years and that they will support the Service’s transition to technology-driven customs administration.
“This is a young intake. The median age of the successful candidates is 26 years.
“These officers will carry the Service through the next three decades of its work, and they are entering at a point when Customs administration worldwide is being reshaped by technology, data and automated risk management,” he said.
The Comptroller-General also cautioned successful applicants and members of the public against fraudsters demanding payment in exchange for employment, stressing that recruitment into the Service remains free.
“Recruitment into the Nigeria Customs Service is free. No candidate has paid, and no candidate should pay any person or group for a place on this list.
“Anyone who solicits payment on our behalf is a criminal and should be reported to the Service and to the security agencies,” he said.
He added that successful candidates would receive official notifications through the contact details submitted during their applications and advised them to rely only on official communication channels.
Congratulating the successful applicants, Adeniyi commended them for emerging from a highly competitive selection process involving more than half a million candidates.
“To the 3,852 men and women whose names appear on this list: congratulations. You have earned your place in a field of more than half a million,” Adeniyi said.
“You are joining a Service with a proud tradition and a demanding standard, and you will be held to that standard from your first day.”
The 2024/2025 recruitment exercise was launched in December 2024 to strengthen the Nigeria Customs Service workforce following years of retirements and expanding responsibilities in trade facilitation, border security, revenue collection and anti-smuggling operations.
The latest recruitment aligns with ongoing reforms aimed at enhancing automation, intelligence-led enforcement and operational efficiency across the country’s borders and ports.
