NCS Shortlisted Candidates Protest Over Missing Training Invitations
Applicants shortlisted for the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) recruitment exercise have staged a protest at the service’s headquarters in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). They are demanding answers over a prolonged delay and the failure to publish the names of screened candidates cleared for training and employment.
Voicing their frustration, the protesters urged the Federal Government and the Customs leadership to act without delay. They said the demonstration would continue for several days until the service addressed their concerns and clarified the status of candidates who took part in the process from the start and were shortlisted.
The aggrieved candidates called for transparency, accountability and fairness, which they described as the three pillars needed to restore the confidence Nigerians once had in the Service.
Speaking to journalists in the FCT, a cross-section of the applicants asked the NCS to formally publish the names of disqualified candidates, along with the reasons for each disqualification. They also requested clear communication regarding the status of candidates who completed all required screening and appeared on the successful list.
The prospective officers believe that meeting these demands would deliver the transparency, fairness and justice Nigerians have sought for years. It would also spare applicants further confusion and distress.
The protesters further noted that the service has already published a final list for the Superintendent Cadre and that candidates in that cadre have been contacted by email and other channels for documentation and training. They are asking for the same treatment.
According to SaharaReporters, candidates in the ongoing exercise had earlier appealed to President Bola Tinubu to step in at this final stage. They said applicants whose names appeared on the published list of successful candidates were being left out of training scheduled to begin on October 9, 2026.
The recruitment exercise began in December 2024 and went through several stages of selection. It ended with the official publication of a list of 3,852 successful candidates.
Customs Responds
The NCS has since clarified that appearing on the published list does not amount to automatic appointment. Customs spokesperson Abdullahi Maiwada said that making the list did not mean the recruitment process had ended or that an applicant had received a final appointment. He explained that candidates must pass physical screening and meet other conditions before admission to the training college and eventual commissioning as officers.
The applicants maintain that they completed these stages and are still waiting for invitations. The service’s training portal says candidates invited after documentation and screening are to report to the Customs Training College in Ikeja on October 9.
What the Final List Shows
The 3,852 successful candidates comprise 1,275 in the Superintendent Cadre, 367 in the Inspectorate Cadre and 2,210 in the Customs Assistant Cadre. The overall success rate was 0.67 per cent, with women making up 839 of those selected, or 21.8 per cent.
Controller-General Bashir Adeniyi also announced that the Service will move to an annual recruitment cycle to align manpower planning with expected retirements. He urged successful candidates to wait for official communication through the channels used during their application and warned the public that recruitment into the service is free.
