The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced plans to conduct its recruitment exercise annually, ending the previous practice where applicants had to wait several years before new vacancies were advertised.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed this on Tuesday during a press briefing at the service headquarters in Abuja while unveiling the final list of successful candidates for the 2024/2025 recruitment exercise.
According to Adeniyi, the decision is aimed at improving workforce planning and ensuring that vacancies created through retirement and other exits are filled promptly.
He noted that the agency’s previous recruitment pattern was irregular, leaving many prospective applicants uncertain about when the next opportunity would arise.
Under the new arrangement, the Customs Service will recruit every year, giving interested Nigerians a predictable application timeline and eliminating prolonged waiting periods.
Adeniyi revealed that the 2026 recruitment exercise is expected to commence later this year, adding that it will build on the enhanced recruitment framework developed during the recently concluded exercise.
He explained that the service has introduced improved screening, verification and selection processes that will make future recruitment exercises more efficient and better organised.
The Customs boss said the lengthy duration of the 2024/2025 recruitment process was necessary to establish a reliable and sustainable recruitment system that would support subsequent exercises.
According to him, the structures created during the process will significantly reduce the level of preparation required for future recruitment cycles.
Adeniyi added that the annual recruitment model would enable the service to anticipate staffing needs and address manpower gaps before they become critical.
He also noted that the initiative would benefit applicants by providing a clear schedule for future recruitment opportunities, even if they are unsuccessful in a particular cycle.
The announcement followed the conclusion of the 2024/2025 recruitment exercise, which attracted thousands of applications from Nigerians seeking to join the paramilitary agency.
In total, 3,852 candidates secured appointments across the three entry cadres of the Nigeria Customs Service.
The successful candidates include 1,275 officers recruited into the Superintendent Cadre, 367 into the Inspectorate Cadre, and 2,210 into the Customs Assistant Cadre.