
Over 500,000 Nigerians have applied for the ongoing 2024/2025 Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) recruitment exercise within just one week of the application portal being opened.
Gists9ja reports that according to the National Public Relations Officer of the NCS, CSC Abdullahi Maiwada, a total of 573,519 applications have been submitted for the 3,927 available positions approved for recruitment. The roles span both general duty and support staff positions across various ranks.
Maiwada provided a detailed breakdown of the applications received:
- Superintendent Cadre (General Duty): 249,218 applications
- Superintendent Cadre (Support Staff): 27,722 applications, primarily from candidates with Higher National Diplomas (HNDs) or university degrees
- Inspector Cadre (General Duty): 115,634 applications
- Inspector Cadre (Support Staff): 12,952 applications, requiring a National Certificate of Education (NCE) or National Diploma
- Customs Assistant (General Duty): 153,593 applications
- Customs Assistant (Support Staff): 14,400 applications, requiring secondary school certificates
Maiwada explained that applicants fall into two main categories: general duty and support staff.
- Superintendent Cadre:
- General Duty: Open to candidates with higher educational qualifications.
- Support Staff: Candidates with HNDs or university degrees applied under this category.
- Inspector Cadre:
- General Duty: Applicants with NCEs or National Diplomas are eligible.
- Support Staff: Similar qualifications apply, tailored to specific professional roles.
- Customs Assistant:
- General Duty: Open to secondary school graduates with at least five credits, including Mathematics and English.
- Support Staff: Includes candidates without Mathematics or English but meeting other qualifications.
The surge in applications reflects the high level of interest in joining the NCS, attributed to its role in national development and employment opportunities. The recruitment exercise also underscores the need for transparency in the selection process to ensure only qualified candidates are chosen for the limited positions.
With the overwhelming number of applications received, the NCS faces the challenge of shortlisting candidates for further stages in the recruitment process while maintaining fairness and credibility.