The release of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) final recruitment list has sparked widespread outrage in Nasarawa and Bauchi states, with aggrieved applicants and stakeholders alleging that the selection process unfairly sidelined qualified candidates.
The controversy erupted shortly after the NCS published the final list of successful candidates for its 2024/2025 recruitment exercise and directed successful applicants to begin uploading medical fitness certificates and complete other pre-employment requirements.
In Nasarawa State, disappointed applicants took to social media and other platforms to express anger, claiming that only a handful of Christian candidates from the state made the final list despite hundreds participating in the recruitment process.
Some accused the Service of failing to reflect the federal character principle in the final selection.
Similar concerns have emerged in Bauchi State, where applicants and community leaders questioned what they described as the poor representation of the state in the recruitment exercise.
They called on the Federal Government and the leadership of the Nigeria Customs Service to review the list and address the alleged religious imbalance.
The protesters argued that many candidates who successfully completed the computer-based test and physical screening were excluded from the final list without explanation, raising concerns about the transparency and credibility of the recruitment process.
Some stakeholders have called for an independent investigation into the selection process, urging the Customs Service to publish a state-by-state breakdown of successful candidates to reassure Nigerians that the exercise complied with the constitutional principle of fairness and equity.
As of press time, the Nigeria Customs Service has yet to officially respond to the allegations from Nasarawa and Bauchi.
However, the Service has maintained that the recruitment exercise was conducted transparently and advised successful candidates to proceed with the next phase of documentation through its official portal.
