For an agency that sits at the intersection of trade, taxation and national security, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has rarely had a simple mandate.
It is expected to collect revenue for the government, facilitate legitimate trade, protect domestic industries and prevent the movement of prohibited goods across Nigeria’s borders. Increasingly, it is also being asked to do all of this while reducing human interference and making the clearance of legitimate cargo faster.
The demands have become more pronounced under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whose Renewed Hope Agenda places revenue mobilisation, economic growth, job creation and national security among its priorities.
Three years into the administration, Customs is positioning its ongoing reforms around these competing demands, with technology emerging as the connecting thread.
Under Comptroller-General, Adewale Adeniyi, the Service has pursued reforms spanning revenue collection, trade facilitation, automation and border security. The results, however, are best understood not simply through revenue figures but through how the agency is attempting to change the way Nigeria manages its borders and international trade.
Revenue pressure
The most visible measure of Customs’ performance remains revenue. The Service generated N4.03 trillion in the first half of 2026, putting it ahead of its mid-year projection and leaving it with a N11 trillion target for the full year.
The figure continues a sharp increase in collections over the past three years: N3.21 trillion in 2023, N6.105 trillion in 2024 and N7.27 trillion in 2025.
The increase has coincided with a broader push to automate customs processes and…
Source link
Read Full Article by Taofeek Oyedokun at businessday.ng
Source link
