Over 1.9m Nigerians apply for 30,000 jobs as immigration, others recruitment portal closes

The Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB) has closed its recruitment portal after receiving 1,911,692 applications for just 30,000 vacancies across the four paramilitary agencies under its supervision.

The application portal, which opened on Monday, July 14, officially closed on Sunday, August 10, 2025.

“The official recruitment portal for the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board is now closed. We thank all applicants for their interest and commitment to serving with honour, integrity and national pride,” the Board announced in a statement on Monday.

Earlier, the federal government board had disclosed plans to recruit 30,000 Nigerians into the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Nigeria Correctional Service, Federal Fire Service, and Nigeria Immigration Service.

A check on the portal on Monday revealed that the massive number of applications means only 1.57 percent of candidates will secure a position, underscoring the high unemployment rate in the country.

Data from the portal shows that Kogi State recorded the highest number of applicants at 116,124, followed by Kaduna (114,500), Benue (110,525), Kano (89,355), and Niger (79,504). States with the fewest applications include Bayelsa (11,669), Lagos (14,215), Rivers (22,207), Ebonyi (23,601), and Delta (27,956).

On the next steps, the CDCFIB stated: “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.”

Taofeek Oyedokun

Taofeek Oyedokun is a correspondent at BusinessDay with years of experience reporting on political economy, public policy, migration, environment/climate change, and social justice. A graduate of Political Science from the University of Lagos, he has also earned multiple professional certificates in journalism and media-related training. Known for his clear, data-driven reporting, Oyedokun covers a wide range of national and international socioeconomic issues, bringing depth, balance, and public-interest focus to his work.