The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) says it is on course to achieve its ₦11 trillion revenue target for 2026, with technology-driven reforms, improved trade facilitation and intelligence-led enforcement helping to strengthen its operations.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Dr Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed this in a compendium obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), attributing the service’s performance to increased automation, data-driven processes and stronger collaboration with stakeholders.
According to Adeniyi, the NCS generated ₦4.03 trillion in the first half of 2026, placing the service ahead of its mid-year projections and strengthening its prospects of meeting the full-year revenue target.
The performance represents a significant improvement compared with the corresponding period in 2025, although the source material did not provide the comparative figure.
Adeniyi said the improved revenue performance was closely linked to reforms designed to reduce human discretion in core customs processes and replace manual interventions with standardised and technology-driven systems.
Technology at the Centre of Customs Reform
According to the Comptroller-General, the modernisation of the NCS is focused on reducing opportunities for leakages while making customs processes more predictable for legitimate traders.
He said the service had introduced standardised rules, risk-based systems, automated valuation references and data-driven targeting as part of efforts to improve the efficiency and transparency of its operations.
“Modernisation within the Service is aimed at replacing officers’ discretion with standardised rules, risk-based systems, automated valuation references, and data-driven targeting to reduce vulnerability in customs operations,” Adeniyi said.
He added that the combination of technology and improved engagement with compliant traders was contributing to stronger revenue collection without unnecessarily disrupting legitimate business activities.
“We removed human discretion, deployed technology, and built trust with compliant traders. When you do that, revenue will grow exponentially without hurting business,” he said.
The approach reflects the increasing use of digital systems in customs administration, where data can be used to identify high-risk shipments and improve the processing of legitimate cargo.
For traders, reducing unnecessary manual intervention can also help make the import and export process more predictable while reducing delays associated with traditional procedures.
Customs Measures Cargo Clearance Time
Beyond revenue collection, the NCS is also using data to assess the efficiency of cargo clearance at Nigeria’s ports and borders.
Adeniyi said the service had adopted Time Release Studies as a tool for measuring and reducing the time required to clear cargo.
The data-driven approach, according to him, is helping the service identify delays and improve processes that affect traders and other stakeholders involved in international commerce.
Reducing cargo clearance times can lower operational costs for businesses while improving the overall efficiency of Nigeria’s trading environment.
The Comptroller-General said the reforms were also contributing to improvements in Nigeria’s position on global trade facilitation indicators.
The focus on trade facilitation represents an important part of the NCS’s evolving role, particularly as the government seeks to make legitimate trade easier while maintaining effective controls at the country’s borders.
Intelligence-Led Enforcement
While technology is being used to facilitate legitimate trade, the NCS is also deploying data and intelligence to strengthen enforcement operations.
Adeniyi said the service was deepening cooperation with other security and financial intelligence agencies to tackle smuggling, illicit financial flows and wildlife trafficking.
He listed the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Department of State Services, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit among agencies working with the NCS in coordinated operations across Nigeria’s land, sea and air borders.
The collaboration is aimed at improving the ability of government agencies to identify and disrupt criminal networks operating across Nigeria’s borders.
Adeniyi also highlighted seizures involving pangolin scales, ivory and other wildlife products, saying the operations had helped disrupt syndicates involved in cross-border crimes.
He said intelligence-led enforcement had become the new standard for the Customs Service.
The use of intelligence in enforcement allows customs officers to focus resources on identified risks rather than relying solely on routine physical checks of cargo and travellers.
Customs Role Extends Beyond Revenue
Adeniyi also stressed that the responsibilities of the Nigeria Customs Service extend beyond collecting import duties and other government revenue.
He described the NCS as an institution with responsibilities covering trade facilitation, national data generation and border security.
“The Nigeria Customs Service is not just about collecting duties,” he said.
“We are facilitators of trade, generators of data for national planning, and gatekeepers against smuggling.”
The statement reflects the broader role of customs administrations in modern economies, where border agencies are expected to balance revenue collection and security with the need to support legitimate commerce.
Adeniyi said the ultimate objective was to ensure that Nigeria’s borders contributed to national revenue, security and economic development.
“Our job is to ensure that Nigeria’s borders work for Nigeria – for revenue, for security, and for prosperity,” he said.
Technology and the 2026 Revenue Target
With ₦4.03 trillion generated in the first half of the year, the NCS has recorded substantial progress towards its ₦11 trillion 2026 revenue target.
The remaining challenge will be sustaining the pace of collection while ensuring that stronger revenue performance does not undermine legitimate trade.
The Customs Service’s strategy combines automation with intelligence-led enforcement and efforts to improve cargo clearance. The approach is intended to increase revenue while making the movement of legitimate goods through Nigeria’s borders more efficient.
Adeniyi’s comments also point to a continued shift in the service’s operational model, with technology increasingly being used to reduce discretion, analyse trade data, identify risks and support enforcement.
As the year progresses, the ability of the NCS to maintain these reforms and translate technology investments into measurable improvements in revenue collection, trade facilitation and border security will be central to determining whether it achieves its ₦11 trillion target.
The service’s performance in the first half of 2026 suggests that technology and data-driven reforms are becoming increasingly important to how Nigeria manages its borders and collects revenue from international trade.