August 13, 2025 – It’s no news that the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire, and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB) has officially closed its recruitment portal after weeks of online applications.
This follows a process that traces back to a June 3, 2025, circular from the Board’s Acting Secretary, A A Jibril, to the Federal Character Commission.
In the circular, titled “Status Report of the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board,” the Board confirmed President Muhammadu Buhari’s approval for the recruitment of 30,150 personnel across four agencies, alongside 209 staff for the Board’s Secretariat.
The breakdown showed 5,150 positions for the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), 10,000 for the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), 5,000 for the Federal Fire Service (FFS), and 10,000 for the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
The letter also revealed the Board’s request for a waiver to advertise the recruitment for three weeks instead of the statutory six weeks required by law. “Attached herewith also, is a copy of financial clearance issued by the Budget Office of the Federation (BoF),” the circular stated, showing readiness to proceed with the recruitment exercise once approval was granted.
When the document first appeared online, federal authorities initially dismissed it as fake. However, days later, the circular was confirmed to be genuine.
The Board subsequently announced recruitment dates and figures that matched the document, including the shortened three-week application period. Although technical glitches affected the portal during the process, the exercise eventually closed as scheduled.
After closing the portal, the CDCFIB released statistics showing applications received by state. A total of 1,914,349 applications were submitted. Kogi State recorded the highest number with 116,378 applicants, while Bayelsa State had the lowest with 11,693 applicants.
If the recruitment target remains 30,000 personnel, this means 1,884,349 applications will not be successful.
Despite government assurances that the process will be based on merit, concerns remain about possible job racketeering, slot buying, and influence-based selections. In the end, how many slots are left for applicants on merits, even though we are told that this recruitment is based on merit?
The Board has assured that shortlisted candidates will be contacted soon with further instructions. Applicants are advised to keep monitoring their email and text messages in the coming weeks for official notifications.
The CDCFIB also encouraged candidates to regularly check the recruitment portal for any new updates regarding the next stage of the process.
The old circular:
