Southwest States Receive Additional Slots as Kano Assembly Rejects Customs Recruitment Shortlist
Lawan Hussaini Dala, the majority leader of the Kano State House of Assembly, expressed concern over what he called “gross injustice and imbalance” in the Nigeria Customs Service’s (NCS) current recruitment process.
Speaking in plenary on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, Dala claimed that the recruitment process was “designed to favor the South against the North” and went against the Federal Character principle.
Fairness and inclusion must be reflected in federal appointments and employment opportunities, the member insisted. He said that the Federal Character Commission’s (FCC) constitutional role was being ignored by the Customs Service.
“I am here to contest the method in which the Nigeria Customs Service is conducting its recruitment process. We perceive injustice. Dala said that the Federal Character, which was tasked with guaranteeing a fair distribution of rights, was not taken into account.
South-West Receives More Than Half of All Slots
Dala broke down the numbers and found that states in the South-West accounted for more than half of the 1,785 candidates recruited nationwide.
He claims that Lagos alone received 207 seats, Ogun 145, Ondo 132, Osun 127, and Oyo 108, while Ekiti, “not more than Nasarawa Local Government in Kano,” received 93 slots.
The congressman bemoaned, “In all, the South-West took home 812 slots, which is more than half of the total number of recruits across the entire country.”
“Shortchanged” North-West
Dala made pointed comparisons with the North-West states’ allocations, calling them “unacceptable and unjustifiable.”
Kano received just 31, Katsina 20, Jigawa 18, and Zamfara 16 in the North-West. Only roughly 7% of the total number recruited came from the entire region, he stated.
The significant difference amounted to intentional marginalization, the Majority Leader cautioned.
“Honorable Speaker, this is unfair, and our people will continue to be deceived if we remain silent on such matters. There were only 651 places remaining for the entire northern area. He warned that if this keeps up, a specific ethnicity or geographic area will control the Nigeria Customs Service in a few years.
Dala cautioned that if the disparity in government employment prospects is not addressed, it may exacerbate regional mistrust, increase anger, and jeopardize national unity.
“This injustice is capable of creating future problems,” he continued. We are urging the Federal Character Commission and other pertinent organizations to make sure that hiring practices for federal institutions closely follow the principles of justice, equity, and fairness found in our constitution.
In order to demand a review of the procedure, the Majority Leader asked the Kano Assembly to take the issue to the National Assembly, the Federal Character Commission, and the Nigeria Customs Service.
According to him, federal hiring practices should represent a fair distribution of possibilities in keeping with the inclusive and united spirit.
Speaking on the subject, several House members supported Dala and insisted that prompt corrective action be implemented. They called for northern members of the National Assembly to address the matter in Abuja as well.
The Majority Leader’s decision to bring the issue before the House was praised by the Speaker of the Kano State House of Assembly, who called it “a patriotic move in defense of fairness and justice.”
He then gave the relevant House Committee instructions to look into the recruitment numbers and produce a thorough report for additional legislative action.
