Over 500k Applicants Jostle for Customs Recruitment

Over 500k Applicants Jostle for Customs Recruitment

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced that 573,519 applications were submitted during its 2024/2025 recruitment exercise, despite only 3,927 positions being available.

The application portal, which was open for just a week, drew a massive response, underscoring the intense competition for government jobs.

Speaking on the recruitment process, the NCS National Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Maiwada, provided a detailed breakdown of the applications during an interview on Tuesday.

He described the process as “seamless and thorough” while highlighting the categories and qualifications of the applicants.

“For the general duty under the superintendent cadre, we recorded 249,218 applications. Meanwhile, the superintendent cadre support staff, comprising applicants with HNDs and university degrees, had 27,722 entries,” Maiwada stated.

The inspector cadre received significant interest as well, with 115,634 applicants vying for general duty positions and 12,952 for support roles. Applicants in this category were required to have either a National Certificate for Education (NCE) or a National Diploma (ND).

Maiwada further revealed that the customs assistant cadre, which is open to those with secondary school certificates, attracted 153,593 applications for general duty positions and 14,400 for support staff roles.

The total number of applicants—573,519—dwarfs the 3,927 vacancies approved by the Federal Government. Last week, the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, announced the recruitment initiative as part of efforts to fill critical gaps in the Customs Service and enhance trade facilitation.

Maiwada assured the public that the selection process would remain fair and transparent, ensuring that only qualified candidates are recruited into the service.

He added, “The overwhelming number of applications speaks to the high level of interest and trust in the Nigeria Customs Service. We are committed to ensuring a credible process that upholds merit and competence.”