Nigeria Customs to recruit 3,927 cadets in 2025 as part of expanded operational plans.
House approves ₦1.13 trillion budget, urges legal fee collection and stronger community engagement at borders.
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is set to recruit 3,927 new cadets as part of its plan to strengthen operations across the country. This recruitment is part of the 2025 fiscal year plans and has been accounted for in the personnel costs under the revised Customs salary structure.
According to documents from the 2025 Appropriation Bill, which was passed by the House of Representatives during Wednesday’s plenary, the Customs Service’s personnel budget was based on a workforce estimate of 16,245 staff plus the proposed addition of the 3,927 cadets. The total appropriation for the NCS stands at ₦1.13 trillion.
The bill, considered and approved during the Committee on Supply session chaired by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, also projected revenue of ₦1.07 trillion for the agency. This estimate is based on the legally permitted 4% Free On Board (FOB) charge for services rendered by Customs.
In addition to this, the House approved ₦33 billion as the 2% share from import Value Added Tax (VAT), ₦29 billion for ongoing capital projects, ₦247 billion for personnel costs, ₦239.9 billion for overhead, and ₦645.4 billion for capital expenses.
Lawmakers also directed the NCS to enhance its corporate social responsibility efforts to improve relationships with communities living along border areas. Furthermore, the House asked the Service to stop charging fees under the Comprehensive Import Supervision Scheme (CISS) and the 7% cost of collection, as these charges are not supported by any law enacted by the National Assembly.
Instead, the House emphasized that the Customs should rely solely on the 4% FOB charge recognized in Nigeria’s legal framework and signed into law by the President, as captured in the Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, Volume 110.
During an interactive session with Customs officials, the House Committee also acknowledged a revenue performance increase of over ₦1 trillion. The projected revenue for 2024 was ₦5.08 trillion, but actual performance reached ₦6.1 trillion.
Major capital projects planned for 2025 include the completion of the new Customs headquarters, renovation and construction of cantonments, training schools, and housing facilities across zones and commands. Other provisions include the purchase of helicopters, operational boats, armored vehicles, official cars, computers, transformers, and generators.
In total, the House approved ₦6.58 trillion as revenue for the 2025 fiscal year, covering the Federation Account (₦3.85 trillion), import VAT (₦1.08 trillion), and other sources (₦1.65 trillion).
