Saturday marks exactly one year since the Nigeria Customs Service recruitment exercise officially commenced, following the opening of its application portal on December 27, 2024. The recruitment window, which attracted massive attention nationwide, was closed on January 2, 2025, after one week of online submissions.
Immediately after the portal closed, the Nigeria Customs Service began collating and reviewing applications submitted by Nigerians seeking employment across different cadres. Reports later showed that more than 573,000 applications were received for the exercise.
Applicants were invited to apply for positions under three cadres: the Superintendent Cadre, the Inspectorate Cadre, and the Customs Assistant Cadre.
The Superintendent Cadre targeted candidates with university degrees or higher qualifications, while the Inspectorate Cadre accommodated applicants with HND, ND, or NCE certificates. The Customs Assistant Cadre was open to candidates with O’Level qualifications. In total, 3,927 vacancies were declared across the three cadres.
Following the screening of applications, the Service proceeded with shortlisting. By September 2025, the Nigeria Customs Service announced that about 286,697 applicants had been shortlisted to advance to the next stage of the recruitment process. Shortlisted candidates were advised to regularly check their registered email addresses, as official communication was to be sent strictly through verified channels.
The recruitment process later moved into the Computer-Based Test phase. The main CBT for the Inspectorate and Customs Assistant cadres was scheduled and conducted nationwide between September 14 and September 21, 2025. The Service clarified that the CBT was held as planned, despite widespread speculation on social media about a possible postponement.
After the CBT was conducted as scheduled, the NCS dismissed claims circulating online that shortlisted candidates had been announced. It also denied reports that appointment letters were being issued to any candidates.
The Service explained that no official CBT result or shortlist had been released and advised applicants to rely only on information communicated through official channels and registered email addresses.
Presently, the NCS recruitment exercise is still ongoing, and it is exactly one year since the process started. Applicants are urged to remain patient while the recruitment process continues, as the next stage is expected to be the release of CBT results and physical screening for qualified candidates.
