The Nigeria Customs Service has announced that it collected ₦1.75 trillion in revenue between January and March 2025.
This was revealed by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, on Wednesday.
He said the amount was ₦106.5 billion more than the target for the quarter and showed a 29.96 per cent rise compared to ₦1.35 trillion collected in the same period in 2024.
“The figures we’re presenting today show real results from the reforms introduced under President Bola Tinubu and the guidance of the Minister of Finance, Mr. Wale Edun,” Adeniyi said.
He explained that in January 2025, the service collected ₦647.88 billion, which was 18.12 per cent above the monthly target.
In February, ₦540.11 billion was collected, exceeding the target by 1.3 per cent. For March, the revenue stood at ₦563.52 billion, which was 2.7 per cent more than expected.
“These steady results prove that our strategies are working. We will continue with strict enforcement and better partnerships,” he added.
However, Adeniyi noted some challenges, including the impact of the 14 per cent tariff placed on Nigerian exports by the United States. He said a meeting with stakeholders would be held soon to discuss how to respond.
Another major challenge was the unstable exchange rate, which affected trade and customs duties. “We saw 62 different exchange rates during the quarter, ranging from ₦1,477 to ₦1,569 per dollar,” Adeniyi said. “This makes it hard for traders to plan and affects import costs.”
Despite these issues, Customs also recorded strong anti-smuggling efforts. In Q1 2025, they made 298 seizures worth ₦7.7 billion. This was 78.41 per cent higher than what was seized in the last quarter of 2024, though slightly less than the ₦9.59 billion seized in Q1 2024.
Adeniyi said, “Our top seizures were rice—135,474 bags worth ₦939.3 million, followed by petrol—over 65,000 litres, and hard drugs worth ₦730.75 million.”
He also mentioned the interception of wildlife products worth ₦5.65 million and other items like textiles, retreaded tyres, and fake drugs.
On food imports, Adeniyi said that duty waivers helped reduce food prices. He said rice and maize waivers given in 2025 and earlier ones in 2024 had caused prices to drop by 12 to 18 per cent.
“These policies have made food more available and affordable,” he said.
Looking ahead, Adeniyi said Customs will continue to modernise its systems and improve its operations using new technology.
He concluded, “Every number we’ve shared today reflects the effort of our officers to protect our borders, promote legal trade, and raise government revenue. Though challenges remain, we are learning and improving. Nigerians deserve to know how their Customs is performing, and we are here to tell them the truth.”
