The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has achieved a historic revenue milestone, recording a total of ₦7.281 trillion in revenue for the 2025 fiscal year — significantly surpassing its annual target and marking one of its strongest financial performances in recent memory.

Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, disclosed the figures on Monday while delivering a keynote address at the 2026 World Customs Day celebration in Abuja. The event, which brought together government officials, private sector stakeholders, and international partners, highlighted the agency’s ongoing transformative agenda.

Revenue Outturn Exceeds Expectations

Adeniyi said the NCS initially set an annual revenue target of ₦6.584 trillion for 2025. However, actual collections exceeded this figure by ₦697 billion, representing a positive variance of more than 10 per cent above target. Year-on-year comparisons also revealed strong growth; customs receipts rose from ₦6.1 trillion in 2024 to ₦7.28 trillion in 2025 — a nearly 19 per cent increase.

“Ladies and gentlemen, even as we protect society and reform procedures, we must also sustain the financial health of the state,” Adeniyi said. “I am pleased to report that in 2025, the Nigeria Customs Service collected a total of ₦7.281 trillion, exceeding the target of ₦6.584 trillion with a positive variance of ₦697 billion, representing a growth of over 10 per cent against the target.”

Reforms, Technology and Collaboration Drive Performance

The Comptroller-General attributed the strong performance to a series of institutional reforms and strategic deployments of technology across customs operations. These changes, he explained, have improved compliance, enhanced data usage, and streamlined procedures while fostering deeper engagement with private sector stakeholders.

Adeniyi was quick to emphasise that the revenue gains were not achieved through arbitrary enforcement or burdening legitimate traders, a concern often raised by importers. Instead, improved systems — including digital tools and disciplined enforcement — underpinned the growth.

“We present these figures not as self-congratulation, but as evidence that reform is yielding tangible outcomes,” he said, stressing that collaboration with the private sector and alignment with trade facilitation commitments were key.

Balancing Revenue With Trade Facilitation

While celebrating the revenue achievement, Adeniyi reiterated the agency’s commitment to balancing its revenue generation mandate with its trade facilitation responsibilities, particularly within the frameworks of regional and global trade agreements.

The celebration also featured the official launch of a Time-Release Study — a diagnostic initiative aimed at identifying and eliminating bottlenecks in the clearance of goods at Nigerian ports, further supporting the country’s trade competitiveness.

Nigeria’s Non-Oil Revenue Landscape

Customs remains a key non-oil revenue generator for the Federal Government. Its strong performance in 2025 comes amid broader efforts to strengthen domestic revenue mobilization and reduce reliance on oil receipts — a priority of the current economic policy direction.