Wale Adeniyi: Customs Generated N7.28 Trillion Revenue in 2025

• Says gains stemmed from improved compliance, better data use, digital tools, disciplined enforcement, not arbitrary actions 

•Declares customs to institutionalise procedural reforms that reduce clearance times, increase transparency, eliminate avoidable bottlenecks 

• Udoka-Anite hails achievements, vows increased support for innovation, transparency

James Emejo in Abuja

Comptroller General of Customs (CGC), Mr. Bashir Adeniyi, yesterday, disclosed that the service generated a total revenue amounting to N7.28 trillion in 2025.

The performance exceeded the N6.58 trillion target for the year, with a positive variance of N697 billion, representing a growth of over 10 per cent.

Adeniyi said the total revenue rose from N6.1 trillion, an increase of N1.18 trillion, or 19 per cent year-on-year, compared to 2024 collections.

He spoke at the 2026 International Customs Day, and the official launch of Nigeria Time Release Study (TRS) report, a milestone in building customs administration that concomitantly protects society and facilitates lawful trade.

The CGC said, “We present these figures not as self-congratulation, but as evidence that reform is yielding tangible outcomes. The gains came not from arbitrary enforcement or the burdening of legitimate traders, but from improved compliance, better data use, digital tools, and disciplined enforcement.

“More importantly, this performance was achieved while deepening collaboration with the private sector and upholding facilitation commitments.”

In her remarks, Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Doris Udoka-Anite, said the federal government remained committed to providing the necessary support for reforms and to strengthening institutional capacity for transparency and accountability in the service.

Udoka-Anite added that the federal government will continue to play its role in financing and supporting the reforms as well as providing the tools and leadership required to sustain the progress recorded by customs under the current leadership of Adeniyi.

She said the insights generated from TRS will inform future policy actions in infrastructure, investment, and social development, guided by clear trends and policy objectives.

The minister said the government will continue to promote sustainable operations across government agencies, working closely with the private sector, development partners, and trade agencies.

She urged all stakeholders to adopt an inclusive approach and translate the findings into tangible improvements that would benefit the economy and the citizens.

Udoka-Anite said, “Our institutions must continue to build trust and strengthen cooperation across regions to support generational progress and national stability. The operational commitment of all partners will be essential in driving this transformation.

“I therefore, encourage all offices and leaders to take pride in their roles and to invest continuously in excellence.

“This service stands as a pillar of national security, learning, policy development, and global engagement. Every improved process and every faithfully delivered report strengthens investor confidence and moves us closer to preserving Nigeria’s economic potential.”

Adeniyi said the service will institutionalise procedural reforms that would reduce clearance times, increase transparency, and eliminate avoidable bottlenecks.

He pointed out that the TRS report was a mirror that “shows us how others experience our system and challenges us to respond. We are committed to the implementation of its recommendations, including synchronized inspections, better gate coordination, and improved system interoperability”.

He also said NCS will strengthen partnerships, adding, “Customs cannot be everywhere, and it cannot do everything. We will work more closely with other government agencies, the organised private sector, ports and maritime operators, financial institutions, and international bodies such as the WCO. Protection and facilitation are both shared responsibilities.”

Adeniyi stated, “As we look ahead, the question before us is simple: how do we sustain this dual mission-protecting society and enabling prosperity in an era of complex supply chains, technology-driven crime, and rising expectations from traders and government alike?

“Our answer is threefold: first, we will invest in intelligence-led, technology-driven enforcement. Illicit trade has become more sophisticated, and customs must be more sophisticated.

“Tools such as risk management, non-intrusive inspection, post-clearance audit, and data analytics will play an increasingly central role. The days when enforcement depended solely on physical presence are over; the future belongs to digital presence.”

He pointed out that this year’s World Customs Day, with the theme, “Customs Protecting Society Through Vigilance and Commitment,” emphasised that safety and prosperity were not mutually exclusive and that the “economy and security are not separate agendas, and that Customs stands at the nexus of both”.

He said across customs commands, officers working with sister agencies disrupted multiple criminal supply chains before they ever reached our communities.

At Apapa, Adeniyi said 16 containers of prohibited goods worth over N10 billion were recovered in a single operation that involved narcotics, including expired pharmaceuticals, and concealed firearms.

At the airports, he revealed that officers intercepted over 1,600 exotic birds being trafficked without CITES permits, stopping a wildlife crime operation that would have harmed both biodiversity and Nigeria’s international obligations.

He added that the customs teams seized illicit narcotics and counterfeit medicines worth hundreds of millions of naira, along with ammunition and other prohibited items moving through covert routes across land borders.

According to him, “These operations do not make headlines for long, but their impact is enduring as fewer young people are exposed to harmful drugs; fewer weapons reaching criminal networks; fewer counterfeit medicines reaching patients; fewer endangered species removed from the ecosystem.

“This is how Customs protects society: by preventing funerals, addictions, environmental crimes, and avoidable tragedies before they occur.

“The service recorded over 2500 seizures, with an aggregate value of more than 59 billion in prohibited and harmful goods removed from circulation nationwide. These seizures cut across narcotics, counterfeit pharmaceuticals, wildlife products, arms and ammunition, petroleum products, vehicles, and substandard consumer goods. This most certainly prevented real harm addiction, unsafe treatment, violent crime, subsidy exploitation, environmental degradation, and treaty violations and funerals before they occur.”

He said, “After more than three decades in uniform, I can attest that when the public thinks about Customs ‘protecting society’, the focus is often limited to revenue generation or tariff enforcement. In Nigeria, it is sometimes reduced further to the image of officers seizing rice, vehicles, or lately petroleum products.

“These are legitimate functions, but they are only a fraction of the mandate. True protection is broader and far more complex.

“It involves intercepting narcotics that would devastate young lives; blocking counterfeit medicines that would harm patients; seizing hazardous environmental materials; preventing arms from reaching criminal networks; and ensuring that the products entering our country are safe for consumption.

“In many of these cases, the public may never see the intervention but they would certainly have felt the consequences had we failed to act. However, vigilance must coexist with facilitation. A modern Customs administration must be able to detect high-risk consignments without suffocating lawful trade.

“This is why today’s second event, the launch of the Time Release Study, is significant.

“The TRS marks a major step toward making Nigeria’s trade gateways secure, efficient, predictable, and globally competitive. It signals our commitment to move from opinion-driven reforms to evidence-based reforms, and from complaints-driven policy to data-driven policy.”

Adeniyi explained, “The study conducted at Tincan Island Port provides us with the most comprehensive measurement of clearance performance in our recent history. It reveals encouraging realities and uncomfortable truths. It shows, on the one hand, that examination times themselves are relatively efficient, and that Nigeria has the capacity to clear goods quickly.

“It shows, on the other hand, that excessive idle periods often due to fragmented scheduling, manual documentation, and poor coordination-extend clearance times unnecessarily and erode competitiveness. In other words, our challenge is not that we cannot move goods fast; it is that goods are not allowed to move fast.”