The Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS,
has said the service recorded an unprecedented revenue of N1.3 trillion in the
first quarter of 2025 due to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s reforms.
Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi
attributed this remarkable growth to transformative reforms under President
Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, as revealed in an upcoming State House
documentary marking the President’s second anniversary.
In a statement on Saturday by presidential spokesperson Bayo
Onanuga, the Q1 2025 revenue more than doubled the N600 billion collected
during the same period in 2023.
“We collected N1.3 trillion in Q1 2025 alone. This is not
due to higher import volumes. Imports have dropped due to foreign exchange
constraints. What has changed is efficiency, transparency, and enforcement,”
the comptroller general said.
Quoting the CG, the statement disclosed that Customs is
preparing to launch the E-Customs Modernisation Project, a $3.2 billion
initiative aimed at digitising cargo processing, surveillance, and payment
systems across Nigeria’s ports and borders.
“We’re 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 in
cumulative revenue over 20 years,” he said.
The Customs CG confirmed that the service has intensified
its anti-smuggling operations and closed long-standing revenue leakages.
He said over N64 billion was recovered from previously
under-assessed or undervalued imports in the last nine months, and major
smuggling rings at the Seme, Idiroko, Katsina, and Sokoto borders have been
dismantled.
He said the new joint border patrol task forces established
in coordination with the Nigerian Army, DSS, and Police have also yielded
positive results.
“We’re no longer just chasing smugglers in the bush. We’re
using data, surveillance drones, and port intelligence to act in real-time.
Once systemic leakages are now being plugged,” Adeniyi said.
“Right now, you deal with up to 15 agencies manually. With
the Single Window, you’ll do it all online, in one place. This will slash
clearance time and costs,” the CG explained, adding that clearance timelines at
Apapa and Tin Can Ports have already dropped from 21 days to 7–10 days for
compliant importers.
The Comptroller-General said 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 in line with
the government’s push for non-oil exports.
“We’re promoting exports aggressively. Last year, Nigeria
exported over ₦340 billion worth of solid minerals and agro commodities through
formal channels, up by 38 percent. We’re targeting even more in 2025,” he said.
In April 2025, Customs announced that it achieved N1.75 in
revenue in Q1 2025.
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