The Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) has postponed the release of shortlisted candidates for its ongoing recruitment exercise.

The list was initially scheduled to be published on Thursday, August 13, but the agency said the decision was necessary to ensure a thorough, transparent and accurate recruitment process.

The development was contained in a public notice signed by the Director of Human Resources, ACG Issaka Ahmed, and shared by the agency on its 𝕏 handle.

Explaining the reason for the delay, NAQS said the screening process required additional time.

The agency stated, “In order to ensure a thorough, transparent and accurate process, we are unable to release the list of shortlisted candidates as scheduled.”

It apologised to applicants for the delay and appealed for patience while a new date is being worked out.

“We sincerely regret any inconvenience or uncertainty this delay may have caused and appreciate the patience, understanding and continued interest of all applicants,” the agency said.

It added, “All applicants and the general public are hereby notified that a new date will be communicated in due course through our official communication channels.”

NAQS also warned applicants to rely only on information published through its official communication channels and to disregard unverified information.

The recruitment exercise attracted significant interest from Nigerians seeking employment with the agency.

According to statistics released by NAQS on Wednesday, a total of 606,928 applications were attempted, while 407,659 applications were successfully submitted before the portal closed.

The agency said 199,269 applications remained incomplete at the end of the application period.

The recruitment portal opened on July 28 and closed on August 10.

The Assistant Superintendent of Quarantine II cadre, which requires applicants to possess an HND or bachelor’s degree, recorded the highest number of applications.

A total of 290,076 applications were received for the category.

It was followed by the Quarantine Assistant II cadre, which recorded 117,177 applications.

Other categories included the NCE cadre with 79,685 applications, OND with 70,170, and the Superintendent cadre, which requires a master’s degree, with 13,183 applications.

NAQS had earlier announced plans to conduct a computer-based test and interviews on August 15 after releasing the shortlist on August 13.

However, following the postponement of the shortlist, applicants will now have to wait for the agency to announce new dates for the next stages of the recruitment process.

The exercise covers positions across the Superintendent, Inspectorate and Assistant cadres.

The agency urged applicants to remain patient and continue monitoring its official communication channels for updates.