The Nigeria Customs Service has clarified why some candidates listed as successful in its ongoing recruitment exercise are yet to receive invitations for basic training.

According to the Service, the publication of a candidate’s name does not automatically amount to a final appointment. Candidates must still satisfy the remaining screening and verification requirements before they can proceed to training and eventually be commissioned as Customs officers.

The clarification followed complaints from some applicants who said they had completed earlier stages of the recruitment process, including the Computer-Based Test and physical screening, accepted provisional offers on the official recruitment portal and found their names on the published list.

Some of the affected applicants reportedly said they were uncertain about their status after training invitations appeared to stop, with some claiming they had already resigned from previous jobs or incurred expenses because they believed their appointments had been secured.

Responding to the concerns, the Deputy Comptroller of Customs and National Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Maiwada, explained that the recruitment process was still being concluded.

Maiwada said candidates must pass the required physical screening and meet other conditions before they can be admitted into the training college.

He explained that the purpose of the screening is to determine which candidates meet the requirements to proceed and which applicants must be removed from the process.

The Customs spokesman identified factors such as age, academic credentials, medical fitness and other eligibility requirements as issues that can affect a candidate’s progression.

He also stressed that even admission into the training programme would not by itself make someone a Customs officer.

Candidates must successfully complete the required training and satisfy the academic, physical and character standards before they can be commissioned, he said.

The clarification is consistent with earlier information released by the Customs Service about the recruitment process. In September, the Service said shortlisted candidates were required to undergo physical screening and documentation and warned that failure to meet the requirements could result in disqualification.

The current recruitment exercise is the 2024/2025 intake, which began with an advertisement in December 2024. The Service initially announced 3,927 vacancies across the Superintendent, Inspectorate and Customs Assistant cadres.

According to the Customs Service, 573,680 applications were received, while 3,852 candidates were eventually selected for the next stages of the process. The successful candidates comprised 1,275 in the Superintendent Cadre, 367 in the Inspectorate Cadre and 2,210 Customs Assistants.

The Service subsequently conducted physical screening, documentation and medical-related assessments before moving candidates towards basic training.

The official Customs recruitment portal currently provides status information for candidates who have been shortlisted for training. It states that candidates who successfully completed the recent documentation and screening exercise are being directed to report to the Customs Training College in Ikeja for basic training beginning October 9, 2026.

This means applicants who have not received a training notification should not assume that the publication of their names alone guarantees admission into the training programme.

The Customs Service has repeatedly advised applicants to rely on its official recruitment channels for updates and to be cautious of individuals seeking money in connection with recruitment.

As the process enters its training stage, candidates are expected to continue checking their recruitment status through the official channels while the Service completes the remaining verification and selection procedures.

Reporting by TalkNaijaMedia