The Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has disclosed that about 5,000 candidates are at the final stage of the latest recruitment exercise, involving drug testing, documentation and deployment.
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The announcement has raised fresh interest among applicants following the ongoing recruitment conducted by the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB), which was officially announced to recruit 30,150 personnel across its four agencies.
The agencies are the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Federal Fire Service (FFS), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS).
The recruitment allocation included 10,000 vacancies for the Federal Fire Service, 10,000 for the Nigeria Immigration Service, 5,000 for the NSCDC and 5,150 for the Nigerian Correctional Service.
Tunji-Ojo made the latest disclosure on Monday in Abuja during the opening ceremony of the 2026 National Fire Safety Week and Stakeholders’ Conference, themed, “Building a Fire-Resilient Nigeria: One Community at a Time.”
Although the minister did not specify which agency or agencies the 5,000 candidates belonged to, the update comes as applicants continue to report receiving shortlist notifications and recruitment status changes on the CDCFIB portal.
The statement does not confirm that shortlisting has ended, nor does it provide a date for the completion of the recruitment exercise.
The minister also said the Federal Government had cleared a backlog of more than 50,000 promotions across the Ministry of Interior’s paramilitary agencies. He said promotions were now concluded before December each year, with the 2026 exercise completed and preparations for 2027 underway.
Tunji-Ojo added that nearly 100,000 promotions had been effected across the agencies in less than 10 years.
He further disclosed that the number of Federal Fire Service commands had increased from six to 18, creating additional opportunities for career progression, while officers’ risk allowances and other allowances had also been approved.
The minister’s remarks were made as he reiterated the government’s commitment to transforming the Federal Fire Service into a full-fledged fire and rescue service.
He identified the outdated Fire Service Act, which is more than 60 years old, as an obstacle to the transformation and said proposed legislation would provide the legal backing for expanded operations and improved emergency response.
The recruitment has drawn attention from applicants nationwide, many of whom continue following portal updates and await instructions after earlier screening stages. Officials have not announced a final date for deployment for all participating agencies.
What this means
Applicants should continue checking the official CDCFIB recruitment portal for updates, as their application status may change. The minister’s announcement does not confirm that more shortlists will be released, but it also does not say that shortlisting is complete.
