CGC Adeniyi Targets N11trn Through Technology-Led Reforms

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) says it is on course to meet its ₦11 trillion revenue target for 2026, driven by technology-led reforms, improved trade facilitation and stronger border security.

The Comptroller-General of Customs, Dr Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed this in a compendium obtained by newsmen.

He attributed the performance to automation, intelligence-led enforcement and stronger collaboration with stakeholders.

Adeniyi said that the service generated ₦4.03 trillion in the first half of 2026 alone.

He noted that the figure represented a significant jump compared to what was obtained in the same period in 2025 and put the NCS well ahead of its mid-year projections.

According to him, the improved performance is anchored on the deliberate removal of human discretion from core customs processes.

He said that the Service had replaced manual interventions with standardised rules, risk-based systems, and automated valuation references to block leakages.

“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.”

“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.

To further improve efficiency, he said the NCS had adopted Time Release Studies as a tool to measure and reduce cargo clearance times at ports and borders.

The Comptroller-General noted that the data-driven approach has been helping to cut delays, lower costs for businesses, and improve Nigeria’s ranking in global trade facilitation indexes.

On the security front, Adeniyi said that customs was deepening inter-agency collaboration to tackle smuggling, illicit financial flows, and wildlife trafficking.

“The NCS is working closely with the Army, Navy, DSS, EFCC, and NFIU in coordinated operations across land, sea, and air borders,” he said.

He listed some of the security gains to include the interception of pangolin scales, ivory, and other wildlife products, as well as the disruption of syndicates involved in cross-border crimes.

He said intelligence-led enforcement has become the new standard for the Service.

Speaking on the broader mandate of the Service, Adeniyi said that customs was evolving beyond revenue collection.

“The Nigeria Customs Service is not just about collecting duties.”

“We are facilitators of trade, generators of data for national planning, and gatekeepers against smuggling.”

“Our job is to ensure that Nigeria’s borders work for Nigeria – for revenue, for security, and for prosperity,” he said.

In another development, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone ‘A’, Ikeja, says it intercepted 220 consignments of smuggled goods worth N3.24 billion in eight weeks.

The Comptroller of the unit, Comptroller Gambo Aliyu, disclosed this in a statement issued by the Public Relations Officer, Chief Superintendent of Customs Abdullahi Hussaini, on Monday in Lagos.

Aliyu said the seizures included 22 pieces of elephant tusks weighing 130.84kg, as part of efforts to combat smuggling and protect endangered wildlife.

He said the unit also recovered N728.97 million in lost revenue through compliance checks and risk profiling during the period.

According to him, the seizures reflected the unit’s commitment to protecting local industries, government revenue and national security.

He said the operations were driven by intelligence gathering, risk profiling and targeted interventions against suspicious declarations.

“Items seized include 4,956 bags of foreign parboiled rice, equivalent to eight trailer loads of contraband.”

“Others are 12 foreign-used vehicles, 686 cartons of poultry products and 414 bales of used clothing,” he said.

Aliyu said the unit also intercepted 964 jerrycans of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), totalling 24,100 litres, and 26 cartons of foreign vegetable oil.

He said 2,683 parcels of synthetic cannabis weighing 1,439.9kg were also recovered alongside other narcotics.

The comptroller said the seizures included 49 parcels of Ghanaian Loud, 13 parcels of cannabis and 240,000 tablets of Tramadol.

He added that the unit recovered 12,000 tablets of Hypnox, one parcel of methamphetamine and 2,947 pieces of used tyres.

Aliyu said the interception of the elephant tusks underscored the unit’s support for wildlife protection and efforts to curb the illegal trade in endangered species.

He said the seizures would help protect food security, public health and legitimate businesses from unfair competition.

The comptroller urged importers and customs agents to make accurate declarations to avoid penalties and facilitate legitimate trade.

Aliyu attributed the successes to inter-agency collaboration and information from members of the public, assuring that the unit would sustain its zero-tolerance approach to smuggling.

He reaffirmed NCS’s commitment to supporting the government’s economic objectives through effective enforcement, compliance, and trade facilitation.