The Federal Character Commission (FCC) has directed the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to suspend training for newly recruited officers while it investigates alleged irregularities in the recruitment process.

The order follows reports that hundreds of candidates whose names were on the published final list — and who had already passed screening, documentation and medical examinations — were not invited to training.

Speaking at a press briefing at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja on Thursday, Abdulwasiu Bawa-Allah, chairman of the FCC Committee on Financial Services, said the commission was not invited to monitor the exercise.

“It is deeply troubling that the NCS conducted this exercise without the commission’s monitoring and oversight,” he said.

Bawa-Allah said the alleged violations of federal character principles warrant a full investigation, noting that affected candidates had made real sacrifices. “Some affected candidates resigned from their jobs, trained replacements, incurred substantial expenses and made important personal decisions,” he said. “They did all these with the expectation that their published selection would lead to training and formal engagement.”

He stressed that the FCC is not an advisory body that agencies can choose to recognise only when convenient. “It is a constitutional institution established to promote, monitor and enforce compliance with federal character principles in appointments and recruitment across ministries, departments and agencies,” he said.

The commission ordered the NCS to cooperate fully with its committee and any lawful investigation, and said it would use its investigative and enforcement powers to ensure transparency.

Bawa-Allah also sought to clarify the commission’s position on merit: “The commission is not asking that unqualified candidates be recruited. The FCC does not replace merit. It requires suitably qualified candidates from all parts of Nigeria to receive equitable opportunities through transparent, verifiable and nationally inclusive procedures.”

In a statement on October 19, the NCS acknowledged complaints from applicants on the shortlist who were later disqualified from proceeding to the training college. The Service said Comptroller-General Bashir Adewale Adeniyi had ordered a case-by-case review after meeting some of the affected applicants.

The NCS maintained that appearing on the final shortlist did not guarantee enlistment, as candidates still had to pass credential checks, physical fitness assessments, medical examinations, age verification and drug screening.