The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has recorded a historic revenue milestone of ₦1.3 trillion in the first quarter of 2025, more than doubling its first-quarter collection of ₦600 billion in 2023.
Comptroller-General Bashir Adewale Adeniyi attributed this unprecedented achievement to the far-reaching reforms instituted by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Speaking in an upcoming State House documentary commemorating President Tinubu’s second year in office, Adeniyi revealed that the remarkable rise in revenue was not the result of increased imports — which have actually declined due to foreign exchange constraints — but rather the outcome of deep institutional reforms across Customs operations.
According to a statement issued on Saturday by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy Bayo Onanuga, the CG said “what has changed is efficiency, transparency, and enforcement. We collected ₦1.3 trillion in Q1 2025 alone, despite a dip in import volume. That is the result of focused leadership and accountability”.
The Customs boss credited several key initiatives with catalyzing the boost, including upgraded technology, improved port operations, stricter enforcement against revenue leakages, and a cultural shift toward accountability in Customs commands nationwide.
At the heart of these transformations is the $3.2 billion E-Customs Modernisation Project, which the Service is preparing to fully deploy.
The digital overhaul will automate cargo processing, surveillance, and payments at ports and borders.
“We’re laying the foundation to move from a manual, paper-based system to a fully digital service. Once fully deployed, the E-Customs Project is projected to generate up to $250 billion in cumulative revenue over 20 years,” Adeniyi said.
In a bid to align Nigeria’s customs practices with global standards, the NCS has also launched the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) Programme.
This initiative fast-tracks cargo processing for pre-vetted, compliant importers, reducing port congestion and encouraging voluntary compliance.
“If you’re compliant, you get green-lane treatment. This is how modern Customs systems work globally — it’s about trust and efficiency,” Adeniyi explained.
The Customs Service has also intensified anti-smuggling operations and closed long-standing revenue gaps.
According to Adeniyi, over ₦64 billion was recovered from previously under-assessed or undervalued imports in the past nine months.
Major smuggling networks operating through the Seme, Idiroko, Katsina, and Sokoto borders have been dismantled, with results credited to newly established joint border patrol task forces operating in coordination with the Nigerian Army, Department of State Services (DSS), and the Nigeria Police.
“We’re no longer just chasing smugglers in the bush. We’re using data, surveillance drones, and port intelligence to act in real time. Systemic leakages are now being plugged”, he said.
To further facilitate trade and reduce business costs, the NCS is accelerating the deployment of the National Single Window — a digital platform that will unify all government agencies involved in cargo clearance.
Currently, importers must navigate up to 15 separate agencies manually.
“With the Single Window, you’ll do it all online, in one place. This will slash clearance time and costs,” Adeniyi said.
He added that clearance times at Apapa and Tin Can Ports have already dropped from 21 days to as few as 7–10 days for compliant importers.
In line with the federal government’s renewed push for non-oil exports, the Service has introduced fast-track lanes for agro-exports and is collaborating with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) to streamline outbound cargo processing.
“We’re promoting exports aggressively. In 2024 alone, Nigeria exported over ₦340 billion worth of solid minerals and agro commodities through formal channels — a 38% increase. We’re targeting even more in 2025”, the CG said.
Adeniyi also spoke on the internal transformation of the Service itself.
Over 1,800 officers have been trained in advanced data analytics, risk profiling, and artificial intelligence, as part of an effort to shift NCS from physical inspections to intelligence-led operations.
“Customs is no longer just about checking containers. We’re becoming a data-driven, globally competitive agency”, he said.
He emphasized that the transformative success of the Service is rooted in the clear directive from President Tinubu: block leakages, facilitate trade, and raise revenue without increasing the burden on citizens.
“That is what we are doing. And the results are beginning to speak for themselves”, Adeniyi said.
