The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has officially responded to a widely circulating list concerning its recruitment for the Superintendent Cadre, vehemently denying its authenticity. In a statement released on Wednesday, the service clarified that all legitimate updates regarding the ongoing recruitment exercise are communicated exclusively through the official NCS Recruitment Update Portal, urging the public and applicants to disregard any other circulating information.
NCS Dismisses Unofficial Recruitment List
The NCS explicitly stated, "The Service wishes to categorically state that the publication did not originate from the Nigeria Customs Service or any of its authorised communication channels." This firm denial aims to curb misinformation and direct applicants to verified sources. The recruitment process, which commenced with an official advertisement on December 27, 2024, initially received a staggering 573,523 applications across the Superintendent, Inspectorate, and Customs Assistant cadres. Following a rigorous documentary screening phase, 286,697 candidates were shortlisted to participate in the first phase of the Computer-Based Test (CBT), conducted in batches to ensure fairness and efficiency. While all cadres participated in this initial CBT, only successful applicants within the Superintendent Cadre were invited to advance to the second phase of testing. This next stage, set to take place in designated centers across the six geopolitical zones, is aligned with candidates’ states of origin, reflecting the Service’s commitment to transparency, merit, and inclusiveness in its selection process, adhering strictly to the principle of Federal Character.
Lawmakers Allege Southern Bias in Customs Recruitment
Despite the NCS's assurances of fairness, the Majority Leader of the Kano State House of Assembly, Hon. Lawan Hussaini Dala, has raised a serious alarm, describing what he termed a "gross injustice and imbalance" in the ongoing recruitment exercise. Speaking during plenary on Wednesday, Hon. Dala explicitly stated that the recruitment process violates the core principles of Federal Character. He argued that despite constitutional provisions for fairness and equitable representation in federal appointments and employments, the current recruitment appeared to be deliberately designed to favor one section of the country over another. "I am on this floor to challenge the way and manner the recruitment exercise is going on at the Nigeria Customs Service. To us, there is injustice, the Federal Character that was saddled with the responsibility of ensuring equitable sharing of rights wasn’t considered,” he asserted, highlighting the perceived imbalance in this critical public service endeavor within Nigeria.
Disproportionate Slot Allocation Fuels Regional Tensions
According to Hon. Dala, out of a total of 1,785 candidates recruited nationwide, the distribution of slots heavily favored states in the southern part of the country, particularly Lagos and Ogun States, which received a disproportionately higher share. He lamented that “Lagos alone got 207, Ogun 145, Ondo 132, Osun 127, Oyo 108, and Ekiti, which is not more than Nasarawa Local Government in Kano, got 93. Altogether, the South-West got 812 slots, more than half of the total number of recruits in the entire country.” In stark contrast, states in the North-West region received significantly fewer allocations, described by Dala as “unacceptable and unjustifiable.” He noted that “In the North-West, Kano got only 31, Katsina 20, Jigawa 18, and Zamfara 16. Altogether, the entire region got only about 7 percent of the total number recruited.” The lawmaker further revealed that across the entire northern region, only 651 slots were allotted, while the majority of opportunities were granted to states in the southern part of the country. In response to these serious allegations, the Speaker of the House has directed the relevant House Committee to launch a full investigation into the recruitment figures and report back for further legislative action.