The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced an unprecedented revenue collection of ₦1.3 trillion in the first quarter of 2025.
This remarkable growth is attributed to transformative reforms under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Comptroller-General of Customs Bashir Adewale Adeniyi highlighted that the revenue surge resulted from improved technological deployment, enhanced port operations, tightened enforcement on revenue leakages, and a renewed culture of accountability across Customs commands.
Despite a drop in import volumes due to foreign exchange constraints, the NCS collected ₦1.3 trillion in Q1 2025, more than double the ₦600 billion collected during the same period in 2023.
The NCS is preparing to launch the $3.2 billion E-Customs Modernisation Project, which will digitize cargo processing, surveillance, and payment systems across Nigeria’s ports and borders.
This initiative is expected to add $250 billion in cumulative revenue over 20 years.
The Customs Service has intensified its anti-smuggling operations, closing long-standing revenue leakages and dismantling major smuggling rings at various borders.
Over ₦64 billion was recovered from previously under-assessed or undervalued imports in the last nine months.
To ease trade and reduce business costs, the NCS is fast-tracking the roll-out of the National Single Window, a digital portal that will integrate all government agencies involved in cargo clearance. This will slash clearance time and costs.
The Comptroller-General disclosed that the agency has introduced fast-track lanes for agro-exports and is working with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) to streamline outbound cargo processes.
Nigeria exported over ₦340 billion worth of solid minerals and agro commodities through formal channels last year, up by 38%.
According to Adeniyi, “The Customs Service is undergoing internal transformation, with over 1,800 officers trained in advanced data analytics, risk profiling, and artificial intelligence. This is part of efforts to become an intelligence-led organisation.”
He also stated that the President gave the NCS a clear directive: “block leakages, facilitate trade, and raise revenue without burdening Nigerians.”
The results are beginning to speak for themselves, with the NCS recording significant revenue growth and improving trade facilitation.
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