- Nigeria Customs Service generated N7.2 trillion in revenue in 2025, exceeding its target
- The agency recorded over 2,000 seizures of prohibited and harmful goods valued at about N59 billion
- Customs plans to expand digital systems and deploy new cargo scanners to improve trade efficiency
Oluwatobi Odeyinka is a business editor at Legit.ng, covering energy, the money market, technology and macroeconomic trends in Nigeria.
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced that it generated N7.2 trillion in revenue in 2025, attributing the strong performance to tighter border controls and the deployment of new digital systems.
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The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, disclosed the figures on Monday during the International Customs Day event held in Abuja. He said the revenue exceeded the agency’s target of N6.5 trillion, resulting in a positive variance of N697 billion and representing growth of over 10% above the target.
Adeniyi noted that the performance marked an improvement over 2024, when Customs collected just over N6.1 trillion in revenue. That figure had earlier prompted the Senate Committee on Customs to controversially raise the agency’s revenue target to N10 trillion, Business Day reported.
NCS records 2,000 seizures in 2025
According to the Customs boss, the rise in revenue was accompanied by stronger enforcement activities. He said the Service recorded more than 2,000 seizures in 2025, intercepting prohibited and harmful items such as narcotics, counterfeit goods and substandard consumer products, with a combined estimated value of about N59 billion.
Despite the improved revenue and enforcement outcomes, Adeniyi admitted that challenges remain at Nigeria’s ports. He explained that delays in cargo clearance were largely due to structural issues within the port system rather than Customs procedures alone.
According to him, improving cargo movement would require coordinated efforts among Customs, port authorities and maritime operators, stressing that goods are often prevented from moving quickly due to system-wide constraints.
Adeniyi added that ongoing border security measures and procedural reforms remain critical to protecting the public while facilitating legitimate trade.
Large share of revenue from Lagos
He said revenue growth was most evident at major Lagos ports. Tin Can Island Port generated about N1.57 trillion as of December 11, 2025, compared to approximately N1.25 trillion recorded in the previous year.
The Area Controller, Frank Onyeka, attributed the increase to better internal coordination, improved compliance and intelligence-driven operations, with bulk cargo, general merchandise and used vehicles accounting for most of the throughput.
Apapa Port, Nigeria’s largest revenue-generating command, recorded collections of about N2.93 trillion, reflecting an increase of more than 20% compared to 2024.
Source: Facebook
Its Area Controller, Emmanuel Oshoba, said the growth was driven by effective leadership, disciplined manpower and increased use of technology, particularly the Unified Customs Management System, also known as B’Odogwu, which aims to reduce manual processing and enhance transparency.
Adeniyi said the Service plans to expand the nationwide rollout of the B’Odogwu platform and deploy new high-capacity cargo scanners at strategic ports across the country.
He also unveiled the Time Release Study, describing it as a continuous diagnostic tool designed to improve Nigeria’s trade environment by making it more secure, predictable and globally competitive.
FG announces duty waiver for personal vehicles
Legit.ng earlier reported that the NCS had begun implementing a system that allows international travellers to bring in personal vehicles temporarily.
The arrangement applies to privately owned, non-commercial vehicles entering Nigeria for tourism, official, business, or personal visits.
Customs stated that such vehicles may circulate nationwide under strict conditions and must leave the country within the approved timeframe.
Source: Legit.ng
