The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced a record-breaking revenue of ₦1.3 trillion in the first quarter of 2025, a dramatic leap from the ₦600 billion recorded during the same period in 2023.
This historic performance was credited to sweeping reforms under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, according to the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, who featured in a State House documentary set to mark the President’s second year in office.
Speaking on the achievement, CG Adeniyi emphasized that the revenue surge was not due to increased import activity — which has declined due to foreign exchange constraints — but rather to operational efficiency, transparency, and stringent enforcement.
“We collected ₦1.3 trillion in Q1 2025 alone. What has changed is efficiency, transparency, and enforcement,” Adeniyi stated.
Among the key initiatives highlighted was the imminent launch of the \$3.2 billion E-Customs Modernisation Project. The ambitious plan aims to fully digitise Nigeria’s cargo processing, surveillance, and payment systems, and is projected to generate a cumulative \$250 billion in revenue over the next 20 years.
In addition, the recently introduced Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) Programme is onboarding trusted importers, enabling faster cargo clearance and easing port congestion.
“If you’re compliant, you get green-lane treatment. This is how modern customs systems work globally,” the CG explained.
Adeniyi also detailed intensified anti-smuggling operations, which have led to the dismantling of smuggling networks across border areas such as Seme, Idiroko, Katsina, and Sokoto. Over ₦64 billion has been recovered from under-assessed and undervalued imports in the last nine months.
Enhanced collaboration with the Nigerian Army, DSS, and Police through joint border patrols, combined with the use of surveillance drones and real-time port intelligence, has further boosted enforcement efforts.
To ease trade and cut business costs, the NCS is accelerating the deployment of the National Single Window — a digital platform that unifies all government agencies involved in cargo clearance.
“Right now, you deal with up to 15 agencies manually. With the Single Window, you’ll do it all online, in one place,” Adeniyi said, adding that clearance times at Apapa and Tin Can Ports have already been reduced from 21 days to 7–10 days for compliant traders.
In support of the federal government’s push for non-oil exports, the NCS has introduced fast-track lanes for agro-exports and is collaborating with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) to simplify outbound cargo processes. Adeniyi noted that Nigeria exported over ₦340 billion worth of solid minerals and agricultural commodities last year, a 38% increase.
Internally, the Customs Service is undergoing digital transformation, with over 1,800 officers trained in data analytics, risk profiling, and artificial intelligence.
“Customs is no longer just about physical inspection. We are becoming an intelligence-led organisation,” Adeniyi said.
The reforms, aligned with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, are focused on blocking leakages, enhancing trade facilitation, and raising revenue without imposing additional burdens on Nigerians.
“The President gave us a clear directive: block leakages, facilitate trade, and raise revenue. And the results are beginning to speak for themselves,” the CG concluded.