Customs Recruitment: NCS begins final screening, warns candidates against indiscipline
Maureen Aguta
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has commenced the final phase of its 2025 recruitment exercise, warning shortlisted candidates that discipline, character and professional conduct will be as important as physical fitness in determining those who will eventually join the Service.
The two-week final screening, which began on Monday, September 7, 2026, is being conducted at the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), Gwagwalada, Abuja, and will end on September 19.
The exercise covers shortlisted applicants for the Assistant Superintendent of Customs II (ASCII), Inspectorate and Customs Assistant cadres, with candidates being screened in batches based on the alphabetical order of their states of origin to prevent overcrowding and ensure an orderly process.
Addressing candidates at the screening centre, the Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Human Resource Development, Frank Onyeka, said the exercise was designed to assess more than the applicants’ physical capabilities.
Representing the Comptroller-General of Customs, Onyeka congratulated the candidates for reaching the final stage of the recruitment process and urged them to comply strictly with the screening guidelines.
He said the Service would pay close attention to candidates’ attitude, discipline and general conduct throughout the exercise.
“Beyond physical requirements, your attitude, discipline, and conduct are critical factors in deciding who ultimately joins the Service,” Onyeka said.
He warned candidates against disorderly behaviour and urged them to follow the instructions of officials at the screening centre.
According to him, the NCS is working with the Customs Police and other relevant units to ensure that the integrity of the recruitment process is protected and that the exercise is conducted in a transparent and orderly manner.
The Commandant of the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College, Gwagwalada, Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs Dow Gaura, said administrative innovations and collaboration among relevant agencies had contributed to the smooth conduct of the exercise.
Gaura said the arrangements at the centre reflected the policy direction of the Comptroller-General of Customs, particularly in the areas of operational efficiency, collaboration and innovation.
“Everything happening here reflects the policy vision of the Comptroller-General of Customs, which emphasised continuous operational improvement, collaboration, and innovation,” he said.
He described the exercise as seamless and hitch-free, adding that there had been no casualties since the commencement of the screening.
The screening of candidates for the Assistant Superintendent of Customs (ASC) cadre is scheduled to end on Thursday, September 10, while the screening of applicants for the Inspectorate and Customs Assistant cadres will continue until September 19.
The NCS said the phased approach was intended to maintain order at the centre while ensuring that all shortlisted candidates undergo the required documentation, physical fitness and medical assessments before the final selection.