The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) has transferred the pre-test for applicants to the Superintendents team following a major portal failure that left thousands stranded during the initial attempt.
In a statement issued Thursday, the Service explained that the affected candidates have been reorganized into four groups (A, B, C, and D), with new dates and times assigned. Applicants must log in with their National Identity Number (NIN) on the recruitment update portal: updates.customs.gov.ng
to confirm their details.
The agency emphasized that adherence to the revised schedule is mandatory, warning that any candidate who fails to report at the assigned time will face disqualification.
“Applicants must take note of their assigned group and strictly adhere to the schedule. No excuses will be accepted,” the NCS warned.
On the other hand, the Service clarified that the ongoing test is not part of the main recruitment process, but rather a familiarization test designed to familiarize candidates with the online assessment platform and facilitate logistical planning. For now, the NCS has instructed candidates in the Inspection and Assistant cadres not to attempt to log in to the portal, assuring them that their schedules will be communicated later.
The rescheduling follows widespread frustration last Sunday, when many applicants who sat for the pre-test were met with repeated “500 Internal Server Error” and “Timeout” messages. Several candidates, particularly those who paid to access internet cafes, expressed disappointment at the hours wasted trying to log in unsuccessfully.
Some participants also expressed concern about the technical capacity of the system, questioning whether the recruitment platform was adequately prepared for the heavy traffic.
The NCS admitted that the outage was due to excessive traffic, but assured applicants that its technical team is working to improve the platform’s performance before the next round of testing.
With the new schedule in place, the Service urged all applicants to remain calm and prepare appropriately for the rescheduled exercise.
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