HURIWA demands transparency in Customs recruitment process

  The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has demanded transparency and accountability from the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) over the ongoing 2025 recruitment exercise. It challenged the agency to publish the full list of candidates who sat for its Computer-Based Test (CBT), along with their scores and states of origin. The rights group […]

 

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has demanded transparency and accountability from the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) over the ongoing 2025 recruitment exercise.

It challenged the agency to publish the full list of candidates who sat for its Computer-Based Test (CBT), along with their scores and states of origin.

The rights group issued the challenge at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, where the National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, warned that any attempt by the NCS to shield recruitment details from public scrutiny would amount to a gross violation of the principles of fairness and federal character as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

HURIWA stated that it had received widespread complaints about a purported list circulating, which allegedly shows the state-by-state distribution of shortlisted candidates for the final phase of the recruitment.

The list appears to be heavily skewed in favour of certain regions of the country.

According to the association, instead of dismissing the viral list as fake without offering an alternative, the NCS should publish the authentic recruitment data to dispel public suspicion and restore confidence in the process.

“If the list currently circulating online is fake, where then is the authentic version? Nigerians deserve to know the truth.

“Those who sat for the recruitment examination have a right to see their results and how they were evaluated. Anything short of transparency and accountability in this process is unacceptable,” the statement read.

HURIWA stressed that recruitment into a federal agency such as the NCS must reflect the spirit and letter of the Federal Character principle, warning that the culture of secrecy and favouritism has become a breeding ground for national resentment, inequality, and division.

The group maintained that equal opportunities in all recruitment and appointments are indispensable to the sustenance of Nigeria’s constitutional democracy, adding that merit, fairness, and regional balance must guide all public service enlistments.