NIGERIA — The Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) has postponed the publication of its recruitment shortlist, which was originally scheduled for Thursday, August 13. The agency cited the need for a thorough, transparent, and accurate recruitment process as the reason for the delay.

The decision was communicated in a public notice signed by the Director of Human Resources, ACG Issaka Ahmed, and shared on the agency's X handle on Friday. The notice stated that the inability to release the list as planned was to ensure the integrity of the process.

NAQS extended its apologies for any inconvenience or uncertainty caused by the postponement. It urged all applicants and the general public to exercise patience while awaiting a new date for the shortlist release. The agency assured that a new date would be communicated through its official channels in due course.

Applicants were advised to rely solely on information disseminated through NAQS's official communication platforms. The recruitment exercise, which commenced on July 28 and concluded on August 10, saw a significant number of applications. Statistics released by NAQS indicated that 606,928 attempted applications were received, with 407,659 successfully submitted. A total of 199,269 applications were noted as incomplete by the close of the application period.

The Assistant Superintendent of Quarantine II cadre, requiring a Higher National Diploma or a bachelor's degree, attracted the highest number of applicants with 290,076. This was followed by the Quarantine Assistant II position, which received 117,177 applications. Other cadres included the Superintendent cadre, requiring a master's degree, with 13,183 applications; the NCE category with 79,685 applications; and the OND category with 70,170 applications.

Previously, NAQS had planned to conduct a computer-based test and interviews on August 15, following the release of the shortlisted candidates on August 13. However, with the current postponement, candidates will now await updated dates for these subsequent stages of the recruitment process. The exercise encompasses the Superintendent, Inspectorate, and Assistant cadres.