Nigeria’s revenue base received a significant boost as the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) announced it had generated ₦3.7 trillion in the first half of 2025, surpassing government targets and setting a new performance benchmark for the agency.
The development was disclosed by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, during the 62nd meeting of the NCS Board in Abuja on Thursday.
Edun revealed that the collections represented a 12.5 per cent increase above budget projections and a 25 per cent growth compared to the same period in 2024, underscoring the agency’s growing importance to national revenue generation.
According to Edun, the performance of Customs was “commendable,” but he stressed that Nigeria could only sustain and expand such growth through deeper reforms.
He pointed out that the administration’s National Single Window (NSW) Initiative is expected to transform trade facilitation once fully implemented.
“The National Single Window will give Customs the speed and capacity to process trade more effectively, boosting revenue and positioning Nigeria as a more attractive hub for investment,” Edun said.
The NSW, scheduled for rollout in 2026, is a digital trade platform designed to streamline import and export processes.
By reducing bottlenecks, lowering costs, and eliminating unnecessary delays, the platform is expected to significantly improve the ease of doing business and strengthen Nigeria’s global trade competitiveness.
Edun also explained that the Customs’ reforms align with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic agenda, which seeks to stabilise inflation, strengthen the naira, and diversify the revenue base beyond oil.
By modernising trade systems and adopting technology-driven solutions, the government hopes to secure sustainable revenue growth and attract both domestic and foreign investment.
He added that Customs’ strong performance also reflects broader efforts by the Tinubu administration to plug revenue leakages, improve compliance, and ensure transparency in fiscal governance.
At the same meeting, the NCS Board confirmed a series of governance measures, including senior appointments and promotions, aimed at strengthening professionalism within the Service.
More than 3,000 officers have recently been promoted, a move authorities say will improve morale, enhance accountability, and boost operational efficiency.
The Customs Service has also intensified its anti-smuggling operations, particularly in border states such as Ogun and Ondo, where multiple seizures of contraband goods have been reported in recent months.
These efforts have been described as complementary to revenue mobilisation, as they protect legitimate trade and prevent economic sabotage.
Economic analysts and trade experts have hailed the ₦3.7tn milestone as proof of the potential of technology-led reforms in Nigeria’s revenue ecosystem.
According to trade consultant, Dr. Olumide Akinyemi, the growth points to increasing compliance and efficiency in Customs operations:
“For the first time in years, Customs collections are outpacing budget projections.
This reflects both internal reforms and better cooperation with the private sector.
The rollout of the National Single Window will take this performance to another level,” Akinyemi noted.
The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) also called on the federal government to channel a significant portion of the Customs windfall into critical infrastructure projects, particularly ports, roads, and railways, which remain vital to trade facilitation.
Despite the impressive revenue figures, experts caution that sustaining the growth will depend on policy consistency, efficient use of funds, and further reforms to tackle corruption and bureaucratic red tape.
Nigeria still ranks low on global trade ease indicators, and importers often face multiple checkpoints, high charges, and delays that discourage investment.
However, the combination of rising Customs revenue, renewed anti-smuggling campaigns, and planned digital reforms paints a positive outlook.
With Nigeria striving to diversify its economy away from oil dependence, the Customs Service appears poised to play an increasingly central role in fiscal stability.
The ₦3.7tn generated in the first half of 2025 not only demonstrates the transformative potential of Customs reforms but also signals that Nigeria is on track to surpass its full-year non-oil revenue expectations.
The push for a transparent, technology-driven trade ecosystem reflects the government’s resolve to make Nigeria a competitive global hub.
As the Minister of Finance highlighted, the success of Customs will depend on the timely rollout of the National Single Window and continued collaboration with stakeholders.
If well implemented, these reforms could set Nigeria on a sustainable path of growth, making Customs one of the engines of the country’s economic transformation.