The Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, posted ₦1.3 trillion revenue in the first quarter of 2025, more than double the ₦600 billion collected during the same period in 2023.
Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi in a documentary to mark President Bola Tinubu’s second anniversary, attributed the revenue growth to transformative reforms under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Adeniyi said the revenue surge emanated from improved technological deployment and enhanced port operations, tightened enforcement on revenue leakages.
The customs boss also cited a renewed culture of accountability across Customs commands. “We collected ₦1.3 trillion in Q1 2025 alone. This was not due to higher import volumes.
“Imports had dropped due to foreign exchange constraints. What have changed are efficiency, transparency, and enforcement,” the Comptroller-General said.
He stated that the Service was preparing to launch the E-Customs Modernisation Project, adding that the $3.2 billion dollars initiative would digitise cargo processing, surveillance, and payment systems across Nigeria’s ports and borders.
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“We are laying the foundation to move from a manual, paper-based system to a fully digital service.
“The E-Customs Project is central to our future. Once fully deployed, we project it will add 250 billion dollars in cumulative revenue over 20 years,” the customs boss said.
Adeniyi said the newly launched Authorised Economic Operator Programme is now onboarding pre-vetted importers, allowing compliant businesses faster processing, and reducing port congestion.
“It is about trust and efficiency. If you are compliant, you get green-lane treatment. This is how modern customs systems work globally,” he said.
The customs C-G confirmed that the service had intensified its anti-smuggling operations and closed long-standing revenue leakages.
He said over ₦64 billion was recovered from previously under-assessed or undervalued imports in the last nine months, and major smuggling rings at the Seme, Idi Roko, Katsina and Sokoto borders had been dismantled.
Adeniyi said the new joint border patrol task forces established in coordination with the Nigerian Army, DSS and Police had also yielded positive results.
“We are no longer just chasing smugglers in the bush. We are using data, surveillance drones, and port intelligence to act in real-time.
“Once systemic leakages are now being plugged,” Adeniyi said.
To ease trade and reduce business costs, he said NCS was fast-tracking the roll-out of the National Single Window, a digital portal that would integrate all government agencies involved in cargo clearance.
“Right now, you deal with up to 15 agencies manually. With the Single Window, you will do it all online, in one place. This will slash clearance time and costs,” the C-G explained.
He added that clearance timelines at Apapa and Tin Can Ports had already dropped from 21 days to 7 to 10 days for compliant importers.
The comptroller-general said the agency had introduced fast-track lanes for agro-exports.
He added that they were working with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council to streamline outbound cargo processes in line with the government’s push for non-oil exports.
“We are promoting exports aggressively. Last year, Nigeria exported over ₦340 billion worth of solid minerals and agro commodities through formal channels, up by 38 per cent. We are targeting even more in 2025,” he said.
Adeniyi stated that the customs service was also undergoing internal transformation, with over 1,800 officers trained in advanced data analytics, risk profiling and artificial intelligence.
“Customs is no longer about physical inspection. We are becoming an intelligence-led organisation, and our officers are being retrained to match global standards.
“The president gave us a clear directive: block leakages, facilitate trade, and raise revenue without burdening Nigerians.
“That is what we are doing. And the results are beginning to speak for themselves,” Adeniyi said.
NAN
