The Federal Government has set an ambitious revenue target of ₦6.58 trillion for the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in 2025, aimed at driving economic growth and modernisation.
The ₦6.58 trillion target reflects growing confidence in the NCS’s capabilities and its expanding operational scope.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, disclosed this during a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, noting the service’s unprecedented achievements in 2024, including a record revenue collection of ₦6.1 trillion.
Adeniyi described the achievement as historic, noting that it was the highest year-on-year growth recorded by the NCS in recent years.
He said: “I am pleased to announce that the Nigeria Customs Service has again recorded another unprecedented performance in revenue collection for the year 2024.
“The Service collected a total sum of ₦6,105,315,543,489.50 (Six Trillion, One Hundred and Five Billion, Three Hundred and Fifteen Million, Five Hundred and Forty-Three Thousand, Four Hundred and Eighty-Nine Naira, Fifty Kobo), surpassing our target of ₦5,079,069,866,085.50 by ₦1,026,245,677,404.00, representing a 20.2% increase above the target.
“This remarkable achievement represents a significant 90.4% increase from our 2023 collection of ₦3,206,583,002,675.65. The growth is historic as it marks the highest year-on-year increase recorded by the Service in recent times, surpassing the 52.24% growth recorded in 2022 by 38.18 percentage points.
“Additionally, the Service achieved another milestone in October 2024 by recording the highest monthly collection ever of ₦603,171,859,991.97.
“The total revenue collected for 2024 comprises three main components: Federation Account Collections. The sum of ₦3,657,063,981,445.42 was collected into the Federation Account, consisting of Import Duty, Excise Duty, Fees, E-Auction proceeds, and CET Levy.
“Non-Federation Account Levies. A total of ₦816,902,844,844.73 was collected as Non-Federation Account Levies; Value Added Tax (VAT). The Service collected ₦1,631,348,717,199.35 as VAT on imports.
“It is pertinent to note that these collections were achieved despite significant concessions granted to support various sectors of the economy, totalling ₦1,682,302,648,880.67. These concessions comprised ₦723,000,081,776.68 in import duty waivers, ₦372,649,650,951.72 in other levy concessions, and ₦586,652,916,152.27 in import VAT relief.
“These strategic concessions were granted to stimulate economic growth, support industrial development, and enhance the overall business environment in line with government policy objectives. Notably, the 2024 concession value represents a significant reduction from the ₦3,959,868,268,993.18 recorded in 2023.
“This reduction is a direct result of our enhanced monitoring mechanisms and strategic reforms aimed at blocking loopholes and eliminating abuses in the concession granting process, ensuring that only genuine and qualifying enterprises benefit from these incentives.”
The Customs boss reiterated the importance of stakeholder collaboration, technological advancements, and human capital development in achieving the 2025 goals.
Adeniyi outlined the Service’s strategic priorities for 2025, saying, “As we move into 2025, our strategic priorities have been carefully aligned with national economic objectives and the evolving global trading environment. The Federal Government has set an ambitious revenue target of ₦6.58 trillion for the Service, a target that reflects both the government’s confidence in our capabilities and the expanding scope of our operations.
“We approach this challenge with determination, building on our achievements in 2024 and leveraging our enhanced capabilities.”
Speaking on key focus areas for 2025, he added, “Our strategic priorities for 2025 will focus on five key areas: Full deployment of our trade modernization initiatives, including the nationwide rollout of the B’Odogwu platform; complete implementation of the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) programme.
“Enhancement of our risk management and enforcement capabilities through technology integration; operationalization of the Nigeria Customs Service University for Trade and Technology; strengthening of our international partnerships and trade facilitation initiatives under the AfCFTA framework.
“Implementation and roll-out of a robust CSR strategy aligned with the pillars of the Presidential Priority Areas and the Sustainable Development Goals; promotion of open governance through enhanced transparency, stakeholder engagement, and public access to customs information and processes.
“Several transformative projects are scheduled for completion or initiation in 2025. The full operationalization of our new corporate headquarters, the deployment of additional scanning systems at key ports, and the launch of our comprehensive corporate social responsibility programme will be prioritized. These projects, alongside our ongoing modernization efforts, will significantly enhance our operational capabilities and service delivery.
“Our modernization agenda will continue to emphasize digital transformation and process automation. The expansion of our geo-spatial surveillance capabilities, integration of artificial intelligence in risk management, and enhancement of our data analytics capabilities will remain central to our efforts.
“These technological advancements will be complemented by continued investments in human capital development and infrastructure improvement.
“We recognize that achieving these objectives requires the continued support of our stakeholders and the dedication of our officers. We are confident that with our enhanced capabilities, committed workforce, and the support of all stakeholders, we will not only meet but exceed expectations in 2025.”
