The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has accused the Federal Government of sidelining the Igbo in the ongoing Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) recruitment, describing the process as secretive and unfair.
At a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, said the group had received numerous complaints indicating that the recruitment exercise was skewed against the Southeast.
He challenged the Customs Service to publish the full list of candidates who sat for the Computer-Based Test (CBT), along with their scores and states of origin.
“If the list currently circulating online is fake, where then is the authentic version? Nigerians, especially those who applied, deserve to see their results and know how they were evaluated. Anything short of transparency in this exercise is unacceptable,” Onwubiko queried.
Findings suggest that the controversy stems from a viral post on social media allegedly showing the state-by-state breakdown of shortlisted candidates for the Customs Superintendents Cadre recruitment.
The post, made from a verified Facebook account belonging to Senator Ahmad Babba Kaita, claimed that 1,785 candidates were shortlisted nationwide for the final stage of the CBT, with Lagos State having 207 candidates and Kano 31, while South-East states such as Imo (13), Ebonyi (20), and Abia (28) had far fewer.
However, the Nigeria Customs Service has yet to officially acknowledge or verify the authenticity of the list, prompting public concern over fairness and representation.
HURIWA warned that any attempt to conceal recruitment details would amount to a breach of the Federal Character principle enshrined in the 1999 Constitution, stressing that fairness and inclusivity are essential to national unity.
The association further accused President Bola Tinubu of running what it termed an “anti–South-East government”, alleging a deliberate pattern of exclusion of Igbo officers from key national positions and security appointments.
It cited the recent extension of the Comptroller-General of Customs’ tenure as an example, claiming it blocked an Igbo officer next in line for promotion.
Onwubiko also faulted prominent Igbo politicians in the ruling party for what he called political self-sabotage, alleging that they had failed to use their influence to attract development to the South-East.
“The South-East has been left behind in infrastructure, employment, and representation. This marginalisation is deliberate and must end,” HURIWA declared.
The group demanded that the Federal Government release a geo-political breakdown of all federal appointments and recruitment exercises, and called for an end to what it described as “systemic exclusion” of the South-East from key opportunities in governance.
