Customs Boss, Adeniyi Speaks on Delayed Recruitment Exercise

…Assures Applicants Wait Was Worthwhile, Defends Integrity of Selection Process

BY EGUONO ODJEGBA

The Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR, has defended the prolonged 2024/2025 recruitment exercise, assuring thousands of applicants that the delay was necessary to preserve the integrity, transparency and credibility of the selection process.

Speaking during a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, Adeniyi formally announced the release of the final list of 3,852 successful candidates drawn from an unprecedented 573,680 applications received nationwide.

The Customs boss acknowledged the frustration experienced by applicants and their families, apologizing for the delay while explaining that the Service deliberately prioritized thorough screening over speed to ensure only qualified candidates emerged.

“This exercise has taken longer than any of us intended. On behalf of the Service, I sincerely apologize to every applicant who waited and to their families. That wait was real, and I do not diminish it,” Adeniyi said.

According to him, the delay resulted largely from the unprecedented volume of applications, comprehensive verification of candidates’ credentials, and administrative pressures arising from the retirement of several senior officers during the recruitment period.

He disclosed that every application passed through multiple stages of scrutiny, including document screening, computer-based examinations and verification against the National Identity database before the final list was compiled.

“I owe applicants an explanation rather than an excuse. We received 573,680 applications for only 3,852 vacancies. Every application had to be received, verified and assessed. Where records did not reconcile, we returned to check them again,” he explained.

Adeniyi maintained that the integrity of the exercise remained non-negotiable despite pressure from various quarters.

“An exercise of this scale naturally attracts interest from many quarters. What I can tell Nigerians is that this is a list I am prepared to defend on its merits. The standards we set for ourselves at the beginning are the standards that produced this outcome,” he stated.

He announced that 1,275 successful candidates were recruited into the Superintendent Cadre, 367 into the Inspectorate Cadre and 2,210 into the Customs Assistant Cadre.

Describing the competition as exceptionally intense, the Comptroller General said the overall success rate stood at just 0.67 per cent, equivalent to one successful candidate for every 148 applicants.

He appealed to the more than 560,000 unsuccessful applicants not to lose hope, stressing that many met the required standards but could not be accommodated because of the limited vacancies.

As part of efforts to prevent similar delays, Adeniyi announced that the Nigeria Customs Service would henceforth conduct recruitment annually, with the 2026 exercise expected to commence later this year and conclude within the same calendar year.

He added that successful candidates would be contacted through the official communication channels of the Service, warning applicants against fraudsters demanding payment for employment offers.

Congratulating the successful candidates, Adeniyi urged them to uphold the Service’s tradition of professionalism, discipline and integrity, while assuring unsuccessful applicants that another opportunity would come much sooner under the new annual recruitment cycle.