The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has accused some applicants protesting their exclusion from its 2024/2025 recruitment exercise of attempting to secure employment through unofficial channels.

The accusation is coming amid the allegations of irregularities that have continued to trail the selection process.

The controversy centered on why some candidates whose names appeared on the successful candidates’ list were allegedly dropped.

The NCS spokesperson, Abdullahi Maiwada, disclosed this in an interview with BBC Hausa.

He explained that inclusion on the list did not guarantee automatic employment.

He explained that candidates were required to pass further screening checks before they could proceed to training.

Maiwada added that some applicants were disqualified after failing to meet the prescribed requirements.

“Among those who are currently complaining, some attempted to use backdoor channels to gain entry, which is why they were removed,” the spokesman said.

He, however, assured applicants who believed they had been unjustly excluded that their complaints would be investigated.

“If we find that any candidate was removed erroneously, we will promptly reinstate them,” he said.

The controversy followed allegations that some applicants whose names appeared on the list were screened out and replaced by individuals who did not participate in the recruitment exercise.

In a statement, the NCS acknowledged receiving complaints from applicants who participated in the exercise but were subsequently excluded.

The service said 397 applicants were disqualified during physical screening over issues relating to substance abuse, age, physical fitness and documentation.

Maiwada said some candidates were found to have medical conditions, including Hepatitis B and high blood pressure, while others allegedly submitted fake credentials or exceeded the stipulated age limit.

He explained that the list published after the examination stages was not the final guarantee of employment.

Further checks, he noted, were necessary to establish candidates’ eligibility.

“It is important to understand that being invited for screening does not mean you have automatically secured the job,” he said.

According to him, the screening process included drug tests, age verification and medical assessments.

He said candidates who failed to satisfy the requirements would be disqualified.

He added that applicants who believed their exclusion was unjustified could submit formal complaints for investigation.

The spokesperson also addressed reports that some candidates had resigned from their previous jobs after finding their names on the successful candidates’ list, only to be dropped during the subsequent screening.

Maiwada said the service had warned applicants against leaving their existing employment before completing the recruitment process.

“We warned them not to terminate their current employment because being invited to this stage does not guarantee a job,” he said.

He added that applicants who intended to leave their jobs were advised to liaise with their employers and comply with the required notice arrangements.

Maiwada further explained that candidates who passed the screening would still have to satisfy the requirements of the training programme before being commissioned as customs officers.

He listed examinations, parade drills, firearms training and customs operational courses among the requirements recruits must successfully complete.

However, Maiwada did not comment about an unverified list in circulation, where the recruitment is skewed in favour of a particular region.

The recruitment exercise has also drawn the attention of the Federal Character Commission (FCC), which called for its suspension over alleged violations of federal character principles.

Abdulwasiu Bawa-Allah, chairman of the FCC Financial Services Committee, said the commission was not invited to monitor the exercise.

The development has raised questions about compliance with federal character requirements in the recruitment of personnel into federal agencies.

However, Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, had defended the recruitment process in August, saying the allocation of successful candidates was equal across the 36 states of the federation.

In July, the NCS announced 3,852 successful candidates from 573,680 applications for positions across three entry cadres: superintendent, inspectorate and customs assistant.

The service subsequently invited successful candidates for physical screening and documentation at the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College in Gwagwalada, Abuja, in September, after which some were invited for training.

The latest controversy has put the recruitment exercise under renewed scrutiny.

Applicants are seeking explanations for their exclusion amid the FCC concerns over the monitoring of the process.

The NCS has maintained that candidates must meet all stipulated conditions before they can be employed.

It promised to correct any errors established through its investigation of complaints. (Weekend Trust)