The Kano State House of Assembly has condemned the recently released cadet recruitment list by the Nigeria Customs Service, describing the exercise as biased and unfair to northern Nigeria.
The lawmakers, during plenary on Wednesday, accused the service of disregarding the principles of fairness, equity, and federal character in the recruitment process, which they said grossly marginalised the North.
A statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker, Kamaluddeen Sani Shawai, said the House, under the leadership of the Speaker, Jibril Ismail Falgore, expressed deep concern over what it called a “pattern of regional imbalance and nepotism” in the selection of new cadet officers.
Presenting the motion on the floor, the Majority Leader, Lawal Dala, argued that the recruitment process was neither transparent nor equitable, noting that the distribution of successful candidates reflected a deliberate bias against the northern region.
According to the lawmakers, of the 1,785 cadet officers recruited, over 1,000 were from the South, while the North secured fewer than 540 slots.
“This lopsidedness is not only disheartening but dangerous for national unity,” Dala said, urging President Bola Tinubu to intervene and cancel the recruitment in the interest of justice and cohesion.
Presiding over the session, Falgore called on all northern representatives in the National Assembly to take urgent steps to ensure the cancellation of the list, saying the action of the service violated the Federal Character principle enshrined in Nigeria’s Constitution.
He emphasised that fairness and inclusivity were essential to maintaining peace and trust among the country’s diverse regions.
The Assembly unanimously adopted the motion, demanding the total cancellation of the recruitment exercise by the Nigeria Customs Service Commission.
PUNCH Online reports that the 2025 Nigeria Customs Service recruitment began in late 2024 and advanced through rigorous screening and online CBT phases from September to October 2025.
