The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) says some applicants
complaining about its recruitment list were removed from the process for
allegedly trying to use backdoor channels to secure recruitment.
Speaking in an interview with BBC Hausa published on Friday,
Abdullahi Maiwada, NCS national spokesperson, said the agency would reinstate
any candidate, who was erroneously removed from the recruitment list.
Abdullahi spoke amid the controversy surrounding the
recruitment exercise.
THE CONTROVERSY
In July, NCS released the list of successful candidates for
its 2024/2025 recruitment exercise.
The service selected 3,852 successful candidates out of
573,680 applications across three entry cadres; superintendent, inspectorate,
and customs assistant.
Speaking about the list in August, Adewale Adeniyi,
comptroller-general of customs, said he was prepared to defend the selection on
its merits.
Adeniyi said the allocation of successful candidates was
equal across the 36 states of the federation.
In September, NCS invited the successful candidates for
physical screening and documentation exercise at the Nigeria Customs Command
and Staff College, Gwagwalada, Abuja.
Some of the candidates were subsequently invited for
training.
However, allegations emerged that some applicants whose
names appeared on the successful candidates’ list were screened out and
replaced by those who did not participate in the recruitment exercise.
In a statement released on October 19, NCS said it had
acknowledged the complaints from applicants who participated in the recruitment
exercise.
The agency said 397 applicants were screened out during the
screening exercise over issues relating to substance abuse, age, physical
fitness, and documentation.
The NCS said some candidates were rejected because of
“identified irregularities in their selection process during the screening
exercise”.
On Thursday, the Federal Character Commission (FCC) called
for the suspension of the NCS recruitment exercise over alleged violation of
federal character principles.
Abdulwasiu Bawa-Allah, chairman of the FCC financial
services committee, said the commission was not invited to monitor the
recruitment exercise.
‘INVITATION TO SCREENING DOES NOT CONNOTE EMPLOYMENT’
Reacting to the controversy trailing the recruitment
exercise, Maiwada said inclusion on the final list does not guarantee automatic
with the NCS.
He said candidates underwent drug tests, age verification,
and medical assessment during the screening exercise.
According to the NCS spokesperson, some candidates were
found to have Hepatitis B, while others had high blood pressure.
He added that some candidates presented fake credentials
during the physical screening, while others were found to be over the age
limit.
Asked why age and certificate verification had not been
completed before the final list was published, Maiwada said the list comprised
applicants who had passed the examination stages of the recruitment exercise.
“It is important to understand that being invited for
screening does not mean you have automatically secured the job,” he spoke in
Hausa.
“The first stage of physical screening is a drug test. The
second is an age verification check if you are over 35 years old as a degree
holder, you will be disqualified.
“Lastly, we check your health status, if you have underlying
health issues, you will be removed. Some candidates were found to have
Hepatitis B, while others suffered from high blood pressure.”
Maiwada said applicants who believed that they had been
unjustly excluded had the right to file formal complaints, adding that the
agency would investigate such cases.
Asked to address applicants who resigned from their previous
jobs after making the final shortlist but were later excluded from the
recruitment process, he said the agency had warned them against quitting their
jobs at that stage.
“I want the public to understand our process. We can even
show you the recorded video from when we invited them,” he said.
“We warned them not to terminate their current employment
because being invited to this stage does not guarantee a job.
“We advised them that if they must leave, they should liaise
with their current employers and pay one month’s salary in lieu of notice
before quitting.
“Furthermore, the training camp where they will spend months
has its own rules. Recruits must pass exams, parade drills, firearms training,
and customs operational courses.
“You must pass all of these requirements before you can be
commissioned as a customs officer.”
Speaking further, he said the agency would promptly restore
the name of any candidate who had been erroneously removed from the list.
“I mean that among those who are currently complaining, some
attempted to use backdoor channels to gain entry, which is why they were
removed,” the NCS spokesperson said.
“On the other hand, if we find that any candidate was
removed erroneously, we will promptly reinstate them.”
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