About 2 million Nigerians apply for Civil Defence, Prisons and Immigration recruitment online

Following the closure of the recruitment portal, 1.9 million Nigerians have applied for the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire, and Immigration Services recruitment exercise. The application figures, accumulated for close to a month, represent the high rate of unemployment and the continued search for jobs in Nigeria.

According to information obtained from the CDCFIB application portal, a total of 1,911,285 applications were received during the process, which ran from Monday, July 14, to Sunday, August 10, 2025, representing one of the highest and far more than the 573,000 applications received during the Nigerian Customs recruitment exercise early this year. 

Specifically, the highest number of applicants was received from Kogi State, with 116,174, while Kaduna State followed closely with 114,546 applications. Others in the top 5 states are Benue (110,577), Kano (89,381) and Niger (79,537).

Moreover, the top 10 states, including Kwara, Katsina, and Oyo states, saw a total of 877,670 applicants, representing 46% of the total applications received.

At the other end, Bayelsa State recorded the fewest applicants nationwide with 11,669, closely followed by Lagos State with 14,216. Others are Rivers (22,210), Ebonyi (23,603) and Delta (27,964). In all, the least 10 states, including the FCT Abuja, saw 283,222 applicants, representing 14.8% of total applications received.

During the confirmation of the online portal closure, the CDCFIB noted that notification will be sent to shortlisted candidates for the next stage and encouraged applicants to closely monitor their email and text messages. 

“Shortlisted candidates will be contacted shortly with further instructions. Please monitor your email and text messages over the coming weeks for notifications. We also encourage you to regularly check the portal and social media handles for important updates,” the statement reads. 

While the CDCFIB didn’t disclose the number of jobs available across the four parastatals, the recruitment exercise is expected to be a survival of the fittest, considering the number of applications received. 

Also Read: Recruitment portal crash: Civil Defence, Prisons and Immigration suspend applications.

Recruitment portal glitch 

The application process was marred by a series of complaints, which were all attributed to a technical glitch and slow response of the recruitment portal at the onset of the process.

Recall that after the portal was opened on the evening of Monday, July 14, many applicants complained about their inability to access it. Some applicants recount encountering error messages displayed on their screens, such as “unconditional drop overload,” meaning that the website is unable to accommodate the high volume of visitors, thereby placing a strain on the portal.

For Nigerians seeking a fair and stress-free application process, the situation represents another discredit to the already debilitating condition of the recruitment portals of Nigerian government agencies amid the high rate of unemployment.

The incident sparked strong reactions from applicants, as many applicants had been anticipating the application process. Watching the portal display a blank page, they were left dejected and helpless,

On the flip side, the CDCFIB responded swiftly by shutting down the recruitment portal for days to fix the bug. The board noted that the suspension is to make necessary technical adjustments to the recruitment portal and upgrade it to accommodate the high volume of applications experienced from applicants nationwide. 

While the recruitment portal came back alive on Monday, July 21, some applicants still complained about experiencing slow response, incomplete information on the portal and non-display of their passport photographs on their application slip.

Due to various complaints, the CDCFIB further extended the application exercise by a week from the August 4 deadline to August 11. Though the recruitment portal was closed at the early hours of the day. 

Overall, the CDCFIB recruitment exercise reflects the shortcomings of Nigerian government agencies’ website management capacity. Despite the technical faults and unpleasant application process, 1.9 million applications were received. This adequately captures Nigeria’s high rate of unemployment as the race for survival continues.

What should applicants do next? 

Following the closure of the recruitment portal, applicants are expected to remain vigilant and beware of fraudsters aiming to bank on the ongoing recruitment process. 

Last week, the board warned applicants to disregard news of already shortlisted candidates. Referring to a viral email orchestrated by fraudsters demanding N1,250 consultancy clearance for job selection as contained in the fraudulent message, the board noted that the recruitment process is free of charge and genuine communications are only through its official social media channels. 

The recruitment process is expected to include a CBT exercise for shortlisted candidates, a screening exercise and a final shortlist for successful candidates who will be employed into the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Federal Fire Service (FFS), and the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS).