The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has achieved a record-breaking revenue of ₦1.3 trillion in the first quarter of 2025, more than doubling the ₦600 billion collected during the same period in 2023.
Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, attributed the unprecedented performance to sweeping reforms introduced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
In a State House documentary marking President Tinubu’s second year in office, Adeniyi clarified that the surge in revenue was not driven by an increase in imports — which have actually declined due to foreign exchange constraints — but by strategic overhauls in Customs operations.
“What has changed is efficiency, transparency, and enforcement,” Adeniyi said, according to a statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga. “We collected ₦1.3 trillion in Q1 2025 alone, despite a dip in import volume. That’s the result of focused leadership and accountability.”
He credited the performance to several initiatives, including technological upgrades, tighter port operations, enhanced enforcement against revenue leakages, and a culture shift toward accountability across Customs commands.
At the core of this transformation is the $3.2 billion E-Customs Modernisation Project, which is set for full deployment. The initiative will automate cargo processing, surveillance, and payments at ports and borders.
“We are laying the foundation to transition from a manual, paper-based process to a fully digital Customs service,” Adeniyi said. “The E-Customs platform is projected to generate up to $250 billion in cumulative revenue over the next 20 years.”
As part of its modernization drive, the NCS has also launched the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) Programme, designed to streamline cargo processing for pre-vetted and compliant importers. The programme promotes voluntary compliance while easing port congestion.
“If you’re compliant, you get green-lane treatment — that’s how modern customs systems operate globally. It’s about trust and efficiency,” Adeniyi explained.
The Service has also intensified its crackdown on smuggling and revenue shortfalls. Over the past nine months, ₦64 billion was recovered from previously under-assessed or undervalued imports. Key smuggling networks operating through the Seme, Idiroko, Katsina, and Sokoto borders have been dismantled through joint patrols with the Nigerian Army, DSS, and Nigeria Police.
“We’re no longer just chasing smugglers in the bush,” Adeniyi noted. “We’re now using real-time data, drones, and port intelligence to plug systemic leakages.”
To further facilitate trade and reduce business costs, the NCS is accelerating the rollout of the National Single Window — a unified digital platform for all government agencies involved in cargo clearance.
“Today, importers must deal with up to 15 agencies manually. With the Single Window, it’ll all be done online, on one platform,” 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 alignment with the federal government’s push to boost non-oil exports, the Service has introduced fast-track lanes for agro-exports and partnered with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) to streamline outbound cargo processes.
“In 2024, Nigeria exported over ₦340 billion worth of solid minerals and agro commodities through formal channels — a 38% increase. We aim to exceed that in 2025,” Adeniyi stated.
Internally, the Service is undergoing its own transformation. More than 1,800 Customs officers have been trained in data analytics, risk profiling, and artificial intelligence, with the goal of shifting the agency from physical inspections to intelligence-driven operations.
“Customs is no longer just about checking containers,” Adeniyi said. “We’re becoming a data-driven, globally competitive agency.”
He emphasized that the Service’s transformation aligns directly with President Tinubu’s directive: block revenue leakages, facilitate trade, and grow national income — all without increasing the burden on citizens.
“That’s exactly what we’re doing,” Adeniyi concluded. “And the results are beginning to speak for themselves.”
