Customs Recruitment Portal Crashes During Pre-Exam Test, Applicants Frustrated
Custom Portal Crashes
Customs Recruitment Portal Crashes During Pre-Exam Test, Applicants Frustrated
Thousands of applicants were left stranded on Monday after the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) recruitment portal reportedly crashed during a scheduled pre-examination test. The technical glitch, which occurred just hours after the test commenced, sparked widespread outrage among candidates who had been preparing for weeks.
According to multiple reports, applicants who logged into the portal for the Computer-Based Test (CBT) were either unable to access the questions or were abruptly logged out midway. Others complained of continuous error messages, blank screens, and delayed page loading that made it impossible to proceed.
Social media platforms quickly became flooded with complaints from frustrated applicants. Many described the incident as “unfair” and “disheartening,” especially after investing time, effort, and money to meet the recruitment requirements.
One applicant wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “This is the second time I’m facing issues with the Customs recruitment process. We waited for hours, only for the system to crash. This is not fair.”
Officials of the Nigeria Customs Service have yet to issue a detailed statement, but a source within the agency hinted that the crash was linked to “excessive traffic” on the server, as tens of thousands of candidates attempted to log in at the same time. The source further assured that corrective measures were underway to reschedule the test.
Recruitment observers say the incident underscores the recurring challenges of digital examinations in Nigeria, where inadequate technical infrastructure often leads to delays and disenfranchisement of applicants.
The NCS recruitment exercise, which began earlier this year, attracted a record number of applicants nationwide, raising concerns about transparency, efficiency, and fairness. With the latest setback, many fear that the credibility of the process could be questioned if urgent steps are not taken.
As of press time, applicants were still awaiting official communication from the Nigeria Customs Service on the new date for the pre-exam test and assurances that the crash would not affect their chances in the recruitment process.
