Funso OLOJO, Editor

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has released the final list of successful applicants for the position of Assistant Superintendent of Customs II (ASC II), bringing to an end the nearly one-year wait for thousands of candidates who participated in the Service’s nationwide recruitment exercise.

In a public statement issued by the Service, shortlisted candidates were advised to visit the official NCS website to verify their status and obtain information on the next stage of the recruitment process.

Candidates may also check selected national newspapers where the list has been published.

The Service said successful applicants would receive further instructions through their registered email addresses and SMS notifications.

According to the statement, candidates who receive the notification are required to log on to the recruitment portal using either their National Identification Number (NIN) or registered email address to upload a valid Medical Certificate of Fitness obtained from a government-recognised hospital.

The NCS disclosed that the portal for uploading medical certificates will be activated on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, and successful candidates must complete the process within one week of the portal’s activation.

In addition, candidates are expected to update their current state of residence on the portal and formally accept the provisional offer of appointment by clicking the “Accept Offer” button.

The Service added that successful candidates would subsequently receive their Trainee Identification Number within one week after completing the required online procedures.

Further details on documentation, physical screening, including dates, venues and other requirements, will be communicated through the Service’s official channels.

The NCS urged all successful candidates to strictly adhere to the outlined instructions and timelines, warning that failure to comply with any of the requirements could lead to disqualification and forfeiture of the provisional offer of appointment.

“On behalf of the Nigeria Customs Service Board, the Comptroller-General of Customs congratulates all successful candidates on their success in the recruitment exercise and looks forward to welcoming them into the Nigeria Customs Service as they commence a career dedicated to professionalism, integrity and service to the nation,” the statement read.

The recruitment exercise began on December 27, 2024, when the Nigeria Customs Service opened its recruitment portal to fill 3,927 vacancies across various cadres.

The application portal remained open for about a week before closing on January 2, 2025, after attracting hundreds of thousands of applications from across the country.

Shortlisted candidates sat for the Computer-Based Test (CBT) examination in September 2025, while the final physical screening exercise was concluded on May 10, 2026.

The release of the final list marks the completion of one of the Service’s most extensive recruitment exercises in recent years and clears the way for the commencement of training for the newly recruited officers.

Gloria Odion, Maritime reporter 

Residents, motorists, port workers and business owners along Marine Road, off Liverpool Road in Apapa, Lagos, have raised the alarm over the rapid deterioration of the road, warning that its continued collapse could trigger a humanitarian, traffic and commercial crisis within Nigeria’s busiest port corridor.

The road, a critical access route serving residential communities, commercial establishments and port users, has developed extensive cracks and deep structural fissures, with large sections of the asphalt visibly sinking and showing signs of imminent failure.

A visit to the area revealed a disturbing scene of widening cracks stretching across the carriageway, while portions of the road have caved in, creating dangerous cavities that now threaten both motorists and pedestrians.

To avert accidents, residents have improvised temporary safety measures by placing concrete traffic drums and caution tapes around the failed sections.

However, they said these makeshift barriers offer little protection, especially at night when visibility is poor.

The situation has heightened fears that the continuous movement of heavy-duty trucks and articulated vehicles serving the ports could accelerate the road’s collapse.

Residents warned that if urgent intervention is not undertaken, Marine Road could become completely impassable, cutting off access to residential estates, business premises and key transport links along the Liverpool Road corridor, while worsening Apapa’s already notorious traffic congestion.

Beyond the safety concerns, the deteriorating road is disrupting daily economic activities.

Motorists are forced to manoeuvre around the failed sections, causing delays, while pedestrians navigate dangerously close to the collapsing edges.

Many residents attributed the worsening condition to recent heavy rainfall, noting that the cracks have expanded significantly, an indication that the underlying structure may have suffered extensive damage.

“This is no longer an ordinary pothole. The road is collapsing before our eyes. The cracks become wider every day, and everyone using this road fears the worst.

“If nothing is done urgently, we are simply waiting for a disaster,” one resident lamented.

Another commuter described the failed section as “a ticking time bomb,” warning that the weight of a heavily loaded truck or another bout of prolonged rainfall could trigger a complete collapse.

The worsening condition of Marine Road has also raised concerns about the potential impact on commercial activities within the Apapa port environment.

As one of the strategic access roads in the area, any disruption could impede the movement of cargo, workers and businesses that depend on the corridor.

Stakeholders have therefore appealed to the Apapa Local Government, the Lagos State Government, the Lagos State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, and other relevant agencies to immediately conduct a comprehensive structural assessment of the damaged section and commence emergency reconstruction.

They argued that proactive intervention would not only safeguard lives and property but also prevent a more expensive and disruptive infrastructure failure with far-reaching economic consequences.

The residents further urged emergency management agencies to strengthen safety measures around the affected section pending permanent repairs.

For those who live and work along Marine Road, the consensus is clear: every day of delay increases the likelihood of a catastrophic collapse.

With the road surface continuing to sink and visible cracks widening by the day, they insist that immediate government intervention is imperative to avert what they describe as a looming disaster.

Gloria Odion Maritime reporter 

The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, has charged Public Relations Officers (PROs) of the Service to embrace strategic, research-driven and impactful communication in promoting Customs reforms, strengthening institutional credibility and sustaining public confidence.

Adeniyi gave the charge on Friday, July 24th, 2026 at the closing ceremony of the 2026 Nigeria Customs Service Public Relations Conference held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The four-day conference, themed “Realigning Corporate Communication as a Strategic Driver of Institutional Effectiveness and Public Trust,” focused on repositioning corporate communication as a core management tool for enhancing institutional effectiveness and public trust.

Addressing participants, the Comptroller-General described the conference as a vital platform for reflection, professional development and institutional renewal at a critical stage of the Service’s transformation agenda.

He noted that communication has evolved beyond a support function to become a strategic driver of organisational success, stressing that reforms can only achieve their intended objectives when they are properly understood, accepted and trusted by the public.

“Across the world, communication has evolved from a support service into a strategic management function.

“Reforms cannot succeed unless they are understood, accepted and trusted by the people they are designed to serve,” Adeniyi said.

The Customs boss further observed that the rapid expansion of digital media, artificial intelligence and real-time information flow requires a more proactive, intelligence-led and research-based communication strategy.

He urged Customs spokespersons to communicate every policy, operational activity, reform initiative and enforcement action with professionalism, accuracy and purpose in order to reinforce public confidence in the Service.

Earlier, the Acting Zonal Coordinator of Zone ‘C’, Comptroller Pascal Chibuoke, described corporate communication as a strategic asset that shapes public perception, builds stakeholder confidence, promotes transparency and reinforces institutional legitimacy.

Also speaking, the National Public Relations Officer of the Service, Deputy Comptroller Abdullahi Maiwada, said the 2026 conference marked another milestone in the evolution of the Nigeria Customs Service’s corporate communication strategy.

He noted that the conference built on the successes of previous editions held in Lagos, Gwagwalada and Kano, adding that effective communication remains indispensable to the success of institutional reforms.

According to Maiwada, the conference was designed to develop practical solutions, strengthen professional networks and reposition public relations as a strategic corporate communication function within the Service.

In her closing remarks, the Customs Area Controller of Port Harcourt Area I Command, Comptroller Salamatu Atuluku, commended the Comptroller-General for his sustained commitment to capacity building and professional development.

She urged participants to deploy the knowledge and skills acquired during the conference to improve service delivery across their respective commands.

In separate goodwill messages, the President of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Dr. Ike Neliaku, and the President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Alhassan Yahaya, applauded Adeniyi for institutionalising strategic communication within the Nigeria Customs Service.

They also challenged Public Relations Officers to uphold the highest standards of professionalism, ethical practice and effective stakeholder engagement in the discharge of their responsibilities.

The conference featured technical sessions on Customs modernisation, crisis communication, media intelligence, digital innovation, stakeholder engagement and emerging communication technologies, all aimed at strengthening the Service’s communication architecture and supporting its ongoing reform agenda.