‎The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), which began its recruitment process on Friday, December 27, 2024, with an official ad in national newspapers, is happy to update the public on its progress. A total of 3,927 positions were posted in the Superintendent, Inspectorate, and Customs Assistant cadres in accordance with its statutory mandate to improve service delivery and increase manpower capacity.
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‎During the exercise’s initial phase, 573,523 applications were submitted to the Service. After a rigorous documentary scrutiny, 286,697 candidates were invited to proceed to the next phase. The second stage of the exercise, scheduled to take place from September 14th to 21st, 2025, will be conducted through an online Computer-Based Test (CBT), reflecting the Service’s commitment to transparency, accessibility, and fairness in the selection process.
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‎Candidates who make the short list for the CBT must take the test wherever they choose as long as they have dependable internet access. The exercise must, however, be conducted using a laptop or desktop computer equipped with a webcam and a full-screen display, as the application is not mobile phone-enabled. A facial verification process will be carried out during login; therefore, candidates are advised to maintain a neat appearance to avoid difficulties with recognition.
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‎Both body movement and noise can affect the CBT application. Accordingly, candidates must remain fully focused throughout the test’s duration, as excessive movement, whispering, or background distractions may result in automatic logout by the system.
‎In the same vein, candidates are advised to avoid switching between windows during the test, as such actions will be flagged as malpractice and may lead to disqualification.
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‎The Service has arranged for a required pre-test exercise to help shortlisted applicants even more, and it will take place two days prior to the actual CBT. This session will enable candidates to familiarise themselves with the application. In this regard, two separate links will be sent to all shortlisted applicants, one for the pre-test and another for the actual examination. Candidates who applied for the Superintendent Cadre (Level 8) should note that they will be invited for an additional CBT in the next phase of the recruitment exercise. This provision does not apply to the Inspectorate and Customs Assistant cadres.
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‎The Nigeria Customs Service guarantees all stakeholders that the ongoing hiring process will remain open and exclusively merit-based. Successful candidates will be duly informed of subsequent phases of the exercise through the Service’s official communication channels, the details of which will be conveyed in due course. Applicants are strongly advised to adhere strictly to the issued guidelines and to rely solely on verified official platforms of the Service for authentic updates, as the NCS will neither request any form of payment nor conduct recruitment activities on social media platforms.