The Kano State House of Assembly has strongly condemned the recent cadet recruitment exercise conducted by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), describing it as biased and unfair to the northern region.
During its plenary on Wednesday, the lawmakers accused the Customs Service of breaching the constitutional principle of federal character, which mandates equitable representation of all regions in federal institutions.
In a statement signed by Kamaluddeen Sani Shawai, Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker, Jibril Ismail Falgore, the Assembly decried what it termed a “recurring pattern of regional imbalance and nepotism” in the recruitment of new cadet officers.
Moving the motion, the Majority Leader, Lawal Dala, alleged that the recruitment process lacked transparency and fairness, claiming that out of 1,785 cadets selected, over 1,000 were from southern states while fewer than 540 came from the North, a situation he described as “disheartening and dangerous for national unity.”
“This lopsidedness is not only unjust but corrosive to the fragile trust that binds our federation,” Dala said, calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to cancel the recruitment list in the interest of justice and national cohesion.
Supporting the motion, Speaker Falgore urged northern lawmakers in the National Assembly to take up the matter and ensure that fairness and inclusivity are upheld in public service appointments.
“Fairness and inclusivity are essential for peace and stability. Any action that threatens those values must be corrected,” the Speaker stated.
The House unanimously adopted the motion and called on the Nigeria Customs Service Commission to cancel the exercise and conduct a new, equitable recruitment process.
The 2025 NCS cadet recruitment, which began late last year, included several screening stages and computer-based tests concluded this month.
While the Customs Service is yet to respond to the allegations, the controversy has ignited fresh debate over the fairness of federal recruitments and the need to uphold Nigeria’s diversity and unity.
