by George Ozalla
The Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, on Monday laid out an expansive account of the Nigeria Customs Service’s operational performance, reforms and future direction as the Service marked the 2026 World Customs Day at the Ladi Kwali Hall of the Abuja Continental Hotel.
In a detailed address to government officials, development partners, members of the diplomatic community and private sector stakeholders, Adeniyi announced that the Nigeria Customs Service generated a total revenue of ₦7.281 trillion in 2025, surpassing its annual target of ₦6.584 trillion by ₦697 billion. He said the figure represents a growth of about 19 per cent over the ₦6.1 trillion collected in 2024 and reflects the impact of sustained institutional reforms, improved compliance, technology deployment and closer engagement with the trading community.
The Comptroller General stressed that the revenue performance was achieved without compromising the Service’s trade facilitation mandate, noting that the focus of the current customs administration is to build a system that rewards compliance, eliminates arbitrariness and supports economic productivity. He said Customs has continued to refine its risk management processes, automate critical operations and apply data-driven decision making to block revenue leakages while reducing delays for legitimate trade.
Adeniyi used the occasion to formally launch the Nigeria Time Release Study, a globally recognised performance measurement tool developed under the World Customs Organization framework. He explained that the pilot study, conducted at the Tincan Island Port, analysed over 600 cargo declarations and tracked clearance processes across multiple agencies to identify procedural bottlenecks and idle times within the port system. According to him, the findings will guide targeted reforms aimed at shortening cargo dwell time, improving transparency and strengthening Nigeria’s competitiveness in international trade. He added that the Time Release Study will now be institutionalised and periodically conducted across major ports and border stations nationwide.
On enforcement and border protection, the Comptroller General disclosed that the Service recorded more than 2,500 seizures in 2025 with a cumulative value exceeding ₦59 billion. Items seized included narcotics, counterfeit and substandard pharmaceutical products, arms and ammunition, wildlife products, petroleum products, vehicles and other prohibited goods. He said these interceptions prevented serious threats to public health, national security and environmental sustainability, reaffirming Customs’ responsibility to protect society alongside its revenue and facilitation roles.
Adeniyi acknowledged persistent structural and logistical challenges within the nation’s port ecosystem, particularly congestion and infrastructure limitations, and called for stronger inter-agency coordination and private sector collaboration to address systemic inefficiencies. He maintained that Customs alone cannot resolve all trade bottlenecks and stressed the need for aligned actions by port authorities, terminal operators and other regulatory agencies involved in cargo clearance.
He further underscored the Service’s commitment to intelligence-led enforcement, continuous process review, capacity building and deeper cooperation with international partners, especially the World Customs Organization, to align Nigeria’s customs administration with global standards. Adeniyi said the reforms underway are designed to reposition the Nigeria Customs Service as a modern, professional and predictable institution capable of supporting national economic growth, safeguarding borders and facilitating legitimate trade in an increasingly complex global environment.
