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Adeniyi says yearly hiring will replace irregular exercises as 3,852 candidates secure jobs

By Chuka Madu

Comptroller-General says new recruitment system will give young Nigerians regular opportunities to join the Service

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced that it will begin recruiting new officers every year, ending the long-standing practice of conducting employment exercises at irregular intervals.

The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, unveiled the new policy on Tuesday while presenting the final list of successful candidates for the 2024/2025 recruitment exercise at the Service headquarters in Abuja. He said the annual recruitment model is designed to strengthen workforce planning while giving qualified Nigerians a predictable opportunity to apply for jobs.

Under the new arrangement, the next recruitment exercise is expected to begin later this year. Adeniyi expressed confidence that the 2026 recruitment would be completed within one calendar year, from the advertisement stage to the publication of the final list of successful applicants.

"The Nigeria Customs Service is moving to an annual recruitment cycle. Recruitment will no longer be an occasional event undertaken every several years. It will be a standing, predictable, yearly process," he said.

According to the Customs boss, the lengthy duration of the 2024/2025 recruitment exercise was necessary because the Service had to establish a comprehensive recruitment framework that would support future exercises. He explained that the screening procedures, verification systems and recruitment architecture developed during the process are now fully in place.

"The systems, the screening architecture and the verification processes built during this exercise now exist, and they will not have to be built again. The delays of this cycle were, in significant part, the cost of constructing that machinery. That cost has now been paid," Adeniyi added.

He said the new approach would enable the Service to plan ahead by filling vacancies created through retirements and other exits instead of waiting until manpower shortages become critical. He also noted that unsuccessful applicants would no longer face years of uncertainty before another recruitment opportunity becomes available.

The announcement came as the Nigeria Customs Service concluded its 2024/2025 recruitment exercise, which attracted applications from thousands of Nigerians across the country.

Adeniyi disclosed that 3,852 successful candidates had received appointment offers. The figure includes 1,275 recruits into the Superintendent Cadre, 367 into the Inspectorate Cadre, and 2,210 into the Customs Assistant Cadre.

The introduction of annual recruitment marks a significant policy shift for the Service and is expected to provide a more transparent and predictable pathway for young Nigerians seeking careers in the paramilitary agency.