Nigeria’s Harvest of Export Goodies, As Lilypond Customs Showcases Extraordinary $1.58Bn Export Value in 2025 Half Year … Processes 27,721 Containers with 200% Throughput Growth

Nigeria’s Harvest of Export Goodies, As Lilypond Customs Showcases Extraordinary $1.58Bn Export Value in 2025 Half Year

 … Processes 27,721 Containers with 200% Throughput Growth

Comptroller Ajibola Odusanya, CAC, Lilypond Export Command, NCS

Nigeria’s efforts to boost export trade activities with several policies and measures being put in place seemed to be yielding positive results if developments at the nation’s dedicated Customs export Terminal, Lilypond Export Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is anything to go by.

In an extraordinary operational performance, the Lilypond Export Command (LEXC) of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has held its head tall with a whooping cumulative export value collection sum of $1,586,041,100.25 (One Billion, Five Hundred and Eighty Six Million, Forty-One Thousand, One Hundred Dollars and Twenty Five Cents), for the first half of year 2025.

This superlative revenue collection performance never before attained in the history of the command and service, further suggests the rise and the growing volume of Export transactions which underscores improved compliance.

The Customs Area Controller (CAC), Comptroller Ajibola Odunsanya who made this disclosure when he briefed the media in his office on Thursday, July 31, 2025 to highlight the key operations of the command, which is solely dedicated to processing of containerized exports, from January to June, further said that the command processed a total of 27,721 export containers during this period which is a substantial rise from the 9,438 containers handled in the same period in 2024, with a difference of 18,283 containers which translates to a 200 percent growth in container throughput.

Comptroller Odusanya also informed the press that as part of management’s commitment to achieving operational excellence, that the ICT Modernization Unit has successfully deployed the Unified Customs Management System (UCMS), also known as B’Odogwu. “This platform integrates all export-related modules, and Lilypond Export Command is actively involved in its implementation”, he said.

Continuing, he said, “The UCMS platform holds tremendous potential in enhancing trade facilitation, promoting ease of doing business, improving revenue collection, and strengthening accountability to our stakeholders. While the system is still undergoing test runs across participating commands, including ours, we acknowledge a few challenges. Nonetheless, the Command is actively working with stakeholders to resolve these issues.

Comparatively, according to the statement, comparing the first half of 2024, the 2.5% surcharge paid on re-exported items totaled N47,845,142 (forty-seven million, eight hundred and forty-five thousand, one hundred and forty-two naira). However, in the same period of 2025, this amount rose significantly to N318,775,782 (three hundred and eighteen million, seven hundred and seventy-five thousand, seven hundred and eighty-two naira). This represents a notable increase of ₦270,930,640, reflecting improved documentation, increased export activities, and growing exporter confidence.

On the export value, Comptroller Odunsanya said, the command’s cumulative export value for the first half of 2025 stood at $1,586,041,100.25 (one billion, five hundred and eighty-six million, forty-one thousand, one hundred dollars and twenty-five cents). This reflects an increase of $420.9 million over the $1,165,073,182.37 recorded between January and June 2024—representing a growth rate of approximately 36%.

On trade volume, the CAC statement said during the review period, the Command processed a total of 27,721 export containers, a substantial rise from the 9,438 containers handled during the same period in 2024. This difference of 18,283 containers translates to a 200% growth in container throughput.

He however explained that exports were categorized into four primary segments: agricultural products, manufactured goods, solid minerals, and others.

“As expected, agricultural produce remained the leading export, with a total value of $966,733,612.40 (nine hundred and sixty-six million, seven hundred and thirty-three thousand, six hundred and twelve dollars and forty cents) in the first half of 2025, up from $288,826,590.93 in the corresponding period of 2024. This reflects a significant increase of $677,907,021.47 in value.

“For manufactured goods, the Command processed exports worth N2,083,391,269.82 in the first half of 2025. This represents a massive increase of N1,913,268,843.53 compared to the N170,122,426.29 recorded in the first half of 2024. This jump points to Nigeria’s increasing industrial output and export diversification efforts”, the CAC said.

On the nation’s Export Supervision Scheme, which mandates statutory fees on all legitimate goods exported from Nigeria, Odusanya said, the Command processed N12,000,127,606.28 in the first half of 2025, which shows an extraordinary increase of ₦9,383,043,071.59 compared to the ₦2,617,084,534.49 recorded in the first half of 2024. This rise underscores improved compliance and the growing volume of export transactions.

Comptroller Odusanya on stakeholders engagement said, the command have maintained a strong, collaborative relationship with our partner government agencies, including the NDLEA, SON, NAQS, Police, NAFDAC, and others. He said he had continuously operated an open-door policy with exporters, ensuring regular engagement, effective issue resolution, and seamless trade facilitation. He noted that such engagements have enhanced compliance and improved exporter confidence in the Command’s processes.

Stakeholder feedback continues to affirm our efforts, as the Command remains a preferred hub for non-oil exports, contributing positively to national economic growth.