The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Lilypond Export Command processed $1.58 billion worth of exports in the first half of 2025, a 36 per cent increase compared with the same period last year, the agency said on Thursday.
Customs Area Controller Ajibola Odusanya said the value rose from $1.16 billion in the first six months of 2024 to $1,586,041,100.25 between January and June 2025.
Container throughput also recorded a sharp increase, with 27,721 export containers handled in the first half of 2025, up from 9,438 in the same period last year — a 200 per cent rise.
Agricultural products accounted for the largest share of exports, totalling $966.7 million, compared with $288.8 million a year earlier. Manufactured goods also increased significantly, with a value of ₦2.08 billion in 2025, up from ₦170 million in 2024.
Under the Nigeria Export Supervision Scheme, which applies statutory fees to legitimate exports, the command processed ₦12 billion in the first half of 2025, compared to ₦2.6 billion in the corresponding period last year.
Odusanya attributed the growth to higher compliance by exporters, improved documentation processes, and greater exporter confidence in the system. He highlighted the role of the Unified Customs Management System (UCMS), known as B’Odogwu, in streamlining export documentation and trade facilitation.
“The UCMS platform holds potential for enhancing trade facilitation, boosting revenue collection, and reinforcing accountability to our stakeholders,” Odusanya said at the command’s half-year press briefing in Lagos.
He said the Lilypond Export Command continues to collaborate with other regulatory agencies, including the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service, Standards Organisation of Nigeria, and the police to ensure efficient export processes.
The customs chief urged exporters and trade operators to maintain compliance with regulations to avoid sanctions, adding that Lilypond remains a key hub for non-oil exports in Nigeria’s trade strategy.
He acknowledged the support of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, for what he described as efforts to reform and expand the non-oil export sector in line with national economic goals.
The Lilypond Export Command is one of Nigeria’s designated facilities for processing containerised exports, particularly agricultural and manufactured goods, as part of the government’s drive to diversify foreign exchange earnings away from oil.
