The Nigeria Customs Service has projected revenue collections of about ₦9 trillion in 2026 as it deepens trade facilitation reforms and expands the use of technology to curb diversion and leakages.
The Comptroller-General, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed this in an exclusive chat with our correspondent recently, saying the final target would be concluded after consultations with the National Assembly appropriation committees. He noted that early indicators suggest a marked increase over the 2025 outturn.
Adeniyi said the Service exceeded its 2025 budget by about 11 per cent, attributing the performance to a shift toward trade facilitation and compliance-driven revenue growth.
He said easier and more predictable trade processes had boosted turnover and encouraged voluntary compliance among importers and agents.
He added that in 2025 alone, Customs recorded more than ₦100 billion from voluntary disclosures payments made by traders who returned to regularise underpaid duties after reviewing their records—describing the development as unprecedented and a trend the Service intends to sustain into 2026.
On border operations, the Customs boss confirmed the reopening of the Seme Border, describing it as strategic to Nigeria’s role as a regional transit corridor. He said the decision followed engagements among authorities in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Republic of Benin, and consultations involving Niger, leading to approval for transit cargo movements along the Kébé route.
Adeniyi said Nigeria was meeting its obligations to support landlocked countries by allowing transit goods to move to destinations such as Chad and Cameroon, while stressing that tighter technological controls would be deployed to ensure such consignments are not diverted into the domestic market.
He also said transit operations from major seaports, including Apapa Port and Tin Can Island Port, would continue with enhanced monitoring to safeguard revenue and security.
According to him, the 2026 strategy will focus on sustained trade facilitation, deeper use of technology for risk management and cargo tracking, and stronger partnerships with the trading community, expressing confidence that the measures will support the revenue target and strengthen Nigeria’s position as a regional trade hub.
