The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is set to recruit 3,927 cadets in the 2024/2025 fiscal year as part of a sweeping personnel expansion initiative captured in the 2025 Appropriation Bill passed by the House of Representatives.
The recruitment is supported by a revised personnel cost structure and forms a core component of the NCS’s operational and infrastructural growth strategy.
According to the appropriation report, the nominal roll used to determine personnel costs was based on the current establishment strength of 16,245 personnel, with the new recruitment plan pushing the projected workforce to over 20,000.
Funding for this expansion has been fully integrated into the NCS’s personnel cost provision of ₦247.16 billion, underscoring the agency’s renewed commitment to strengthening its human capital for enhanced revenue generation and border enforcement.
The 2025 budget, totalling ₦1.13 trillion for the NCS, includes a projected revenue of ₦1.07 trillion from the legal 4% Free on Board (FOB) cost of service. Additional allocations include ₦239.97 billion for overhead, ₦645.41 billion for capital projects, and ₦29.05 billion for ongoing capital initiatives. These provisions were approved during a plenary session chaired by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen.
In line with tightening fiscal oversight, the House directed the NCS to discontinue reliance on the one percent Comprehensive Import Supervision Scheme (CISS) and the seven percent cost of collection, which lawmakers noted lack statutory backing. Instead, the Service is mandated to operate strictly within the legal income structure defined by the 4% FOB, in accordance with Volume 110 of the Laws of the Federation of Nigeria.
Beyond recruitment, the capital component of the NCS budget includes strategic investments aimed at boosting institutional capacity. Key projects include the completion of the new Customs corporate headquarters, construction and renovation of cantonments, Customs University, International Conference Centre, and training facilities across zonal and area commands.
Funds were also allocated for procurement of Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs), helicopters, operational vehicles, boats, IT infrastructure, and power solutions
The House further emphasized the importance of corporate social responsibility, urging the NCS to invest meaningfully in its host and border communities to foster stronger local cooperation and reduce friction during operations.
In revenue terms, the 2025 fiscal framework approved by the House projects total income of ₦6.58 trillion, broken down into ₦3.85 trillion from the Federation Account, ₦1.08 trillion from import duties, and ₦1.65 trillion from import VAT.
The expansive budget and recruitment drive highlight a pivotal moment for the Nigeria Customs Service as it scales up to meet rising demands in trade facilitation, border security, and anti-smuggling operations while positioning itself for greater fiscal responsibility and accountability.
Copyright Ships & Ports Ltd. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit given to www.shipsandports.com.ng as the source.
