Nigeria Customs Service Salary Structure and Allowances (2023)

The customs officers are the employees of the Nigerian customs service. They are paramilitary officers in charge of collecting customs revenue, facilitating national and international trade, and combating smuggling.

The custom salary of custom officers in Nigeria begins from 40, 000 Naira (lowest salary) up to 2,200,000 Naira (maximum salary).

The monthly salary of Customs officers in Nigeria is often unclear and many individuals who are interested in the profession often surf the internet for answers. That is why we decided to write about custom officer monthly salary in Nigeria is our main area of discussion in this informative piece.

Custom officers are government officials and are considered to be paramilitary officials. They have an important job contributing to the nation’s economy.

Concerning the salary of these professionals, it is paid per the salary structure of other paramilitary agencies like the civil defence, immigration officers, and also the federal road safety corps.

Interestingly, the salary of custom officers was reviewed in line with the new minimum wage of 33,000 Naira.

So, if you are still interested to find out how much customs officers in Nigeria are paid monthly, ensure you continue to read.

Custom Officer Salary in Nigeria

The salaries of customs officers are paid in ranks. This means not all of them earn the same salary. More so, the new salary is put under the Consolidated Paramilitary Salary Structure (CONPASS) just like other para-military agencies in Nigeria.

The custom salary of custom officers in Nigeria begins from 40, 000 Naira (lowest salary) up to 2,200,000 Naira (maximum salary).

Some factors affect the salary structure of customs officers. They are years of work experience, educational qualification, and job level (rank).

Also, included in the salary are allowances such as utility allowance, hazard allowance, house maintenance allowance, uniform maintenance allowance, general services allowance, torchlight allowance, detective allowance, hardiness allowance, plain-cloth allowance, furniture allowance, and personal servant.

Some of the allowances are paid to every customs officer while there are some paid to officers at certain job levels and ranking.

To help you understand the salary structure, we provide a breakdown of the custom salary in Nigeria below.

Nigeria Customs Service Salary Structure and Allowances

S\No. Ranks       Annual Basic Salaries
1.       Comptroller General Not available
2.       Deputy Comptroller-General Not available
3.       Assistant Comptroller-General ₦2,272,288 – ₦2,464,560
4.       Comptrollers ₦1,759,829 – ₦1,966,281
5.       Deputy Comptrollers ₦1,619,447 – ₦1,825,589
6.       Assistant Comptrollers ₦1,225,584 – ₦1,405,449
7.       Chief Superintendent Customs (CSC) Officer ₦1,158,172 – ₦1,325,234
8.       Deputy Superintendent Customs (DSC) Officer ₦1,094,027 – ₦1,252,038
9.       Assistant Superintendent of Customs I ₦1,012,562 – ₦1,143,539
10.   Assistant Superintendent of Customs II ₦888,956 – ₦988991
11.   Inspector of Custom ₦483,014 – ₦567,065
12.   Assistant Inspector of Custom ₦357,358 – ₦411,484
13.   Customs Assistant ₦298,506 – ₦330,321

 

Average Salary

The average salary of customs officers in Nigeria is 900,000 Naira annually (75,000 monthly). Note that some of the customs officers earn less than the stated amount and some earn higher.

If you are earning more than the average salary, it means you are doing well and joined the few that earn higher monthly payments in the profession.

Entry Level Salary

The entry-level salary of custom officers in Nigeria varies depending on the position in which you are employed. The position or job level you are given depends on your educational qualification.

With that being said, the entry-level salary of customs officers in Nigeria begins from as low as 30,000 Naira to 100,000 Naira. However, the salary increases as you gain promotion and rank high in your cause of service.

Senior Level Salary

senior-level salary is the highest salary paid to employees of an organization including the customs officers. Employees at this level have gained optimal work experience and are placed high in job ranking.

As such, the senior-level salary of customs officers in Nigeria begins from 480,000 Naira and can rise to 2,200,000 Naira per month.

The comptroller general is the highest-ranking official in this profession and earns the highest followed by the deputy comptroller general.

Where can they Work?

I know you have interested to work as a customs officer in Nigeria. But do you know where you can work? So, aside from the salary structure that may interest you or because customs officers work as government officials, it is equally important that you are aware of the places where you can work.

Custom officers are government employees who work for the Nigerian customs service making them the employees of the agency.

Custom officers are usually posted to the airport, border point, seaports and other points of entry into the country where they perform their duty of collecting customs revenue, facilitating national and international trade, and combating smuggling.

Types of Jobs available for Custom Officer

We felt it was important to mention the types of jobs available for a customs officer after becoming acquainted with the areas where you can work.

As a customs officer, there are several possibilities available for you because there are different departments in the Nigerian customs service that you can apply for a job and they are willing to pay for your services. As a result, the type of job you can accomplish is determined by your area of specialization in the customs service.

If you want to know what kind of jobs you can accomplish as a customs officer, below is a summary of the general job description.

As you know, customs officers work at the border and other points of entry into a country. The aim is to collect customs revenue, facilitate national and international trade, combating smuggling among a series of other activities.

The types of jobs available for custom officers include

  • Finance Administration and Technical Service
  • Tariff & Trade officer
  • Enforcement, Investigation, and Inspection officer
  • Strategic Research & Policy
  • Human Resource Development
  • Excise, FTZ and Industrial Incentives
  • Cargo checking officers
  • Statisticians
  • Financial officers
  • Revenue collectors
  • Border security officers
  • Medical officer
  • Mechanics
  • Storekeeper
  • Administrative officers

There you have the various jobs and specializations of a customs officer. However, the job specialization is more than the ones stated above but these are to mention a few. From the above-mentioned jobs, you have a clue about the areas you can work as a customs officer.

Roles / Duties of Custom Officers

The overall responsibility of custom officers is to collect the customs revenue and anti-smuggling efforts. To effectively carry out their responsibilities, there are certain roles that they perform in the customs service.

Over the years the customs officers have continued to discharge their responsibilities to ensure the continuous function and productivity of the customer service. So, if you are wondering what the roles and duties of customs officers in Nigeria are, these have been highlighted below.

  • Boarding ships and aircraft to ensure regulatory compliance and to check for illegal cargo, restricted commodities, or stowaways;
  • Revenue collection and accounting;
  • Anti-smuggling operations;
  • Security function;
  • The process and assess passengers entering or leaving the area of responsibility;
  • Keeping an eye on security in Customs-controlled locations such as wharves and airport tarmacs.
  • Creating statistics for planning and budgeting;
  • Monitoring the use of foreign currency;
  • Conducting research, planning, and enforcing government fiscal policies;
  • Manifest processing;
  • Processing cargo, including document verification and physical examination
  • Advise, supervise, and train local customs officers in customs work procedures and skills
  • Participate in the recruitment and evaluation of local customs officials
  • Customs Agents licensing and registration;
  • Registration and designation of collecting banks; and
  • Collaboration with other government agencies in all approved ports and border stations.

So, if you aim to become a customs officer, you now have an inkling of their responsibilities. This will give you a head start in your career pursuit.

How to become a Custom Officer

Having read this far, I believe you are convinced to become a customs officer. However, you are unsure of how to go through the process.

There are basic steps that you ought to take to become a customs officer and that is to apply whenever there is a vacancy. We have highlighted below the required steps during the application process.

  • Apply for a job position online through the official website
  • You must provide a certificate of origin signed by the Chairman of their Local Government
  • Male applicants must meet the required height of 1.7 metres, while female applicants must meet the height requirement of not less than 1.64 metres. Also, a male applicant must have a fully expanded chest minimum of 0.87 metres.
  • Applicant must be free from financial embarrassment
  • The applicant should have no criminal record from the past.

Another requirement important for this position is to obtain a Bachelor’s degree or its equivalent in any discipline that has a job placement in the Nigerian customs service.

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Conclusion

From our discussion, you can see that becoming a customs officer in Nigeria is worth it considering the salary structure. Although the entry-level salary can be small as you gain promotion and job rank increases, so does your salary. If you desire to become a customs officer, ensure you meet the requirements that will qualify you to apply for the job and possess the required skills needed for the job. Also, constantly surf the internet so that you will know when the official portal is opened for job applications.