By Anthony Otaru
The surge in revenue recorded by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) under Comptroller-General Bashir Adewale Adeniyi has become one of the most frequently cited outcomes of President Bola Tinubu’s economic reform agenda.
Official figures released by the Service show unprecedented collections in less than three years. Yet behind the headline numbers lies a more complex narrative, one that raises questions about sustainability, economic context, and whether institutional reform has kept pace with revenue performance.
Adeniyi assumed office as Acting Comptroller-General in June 2023 and was later confirmed within four months, inheriting an organisation long criticised for outdated laws, opaque procedures, and limited trade-facilitation capacity.
His mandate was clear: modernise Customs operations, strengthen enforcement, and significantly raise government revenue at a time of acute fiscal stress. By official accounts, the results have been dramatic.
Customs collections climbed from about ₦2.5 trillion in 2022 to over ₦3 trillion in 2023, before jumping sharply to more than ₦6 trillion in 2024, far exceeding annual targets.
By the first half of 2025 alone, revenue had reportedly crossed ₦3.6 trillion, suggesting another record-breaking year if the trajectory holds.
Customs leadership insists that increased imports did not drive these gains. Instead, officials argue that improved compliance, tighter enforcement, automation of processes, and reduced revenue leakages account for the surge, especially at a time when foreign-exchange shortages, elevated port charges, and high logistics costs have constrained trade volumes nationwide.
That explanation, however, invites scrutiny.
Nigeria’s import environment over the past two years has been shaped by a sharply depreciating currency, volatile duty exchange rates, rising energy costs, and weakened consumer demand.
In such conditions, sustained growth in Customs revenue raises an uncomfortable question for economists, trade analysts, and industry players alike: Is the Service genuinely collecting more through efficiency, or extracting more from a shrinking pool of importers?
For many port users, the answer is far from clear.
Freight forwarders and clearing agents acknowledge improved engagement and communication under the current Customs leadership, but warn that aggressive revenue targets, when not matched by meaningful reductions in transaction costs, risk discouraging legitimate trade.
Several operators argue that higher assessments, valuation disputes, and compliance pressures have become more pronounced as revenue expectations rise.
Industry groups have also expressed concern that revenue mobilisation increasingly overshadows trade facilitation.
The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), for instance, has repeatedly warned that escalating import-related costs, especially for raw materials and industrial inputs, undermine local production and competitiveness.
Manufacturers contend that while Customs reform is necessary, a system overly focused on collections can inadvertently stifle industrial growth and pass inflationary pressures onto consumers.
Similar views have been echoed by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), which has urged Customs and fiscal authorities to balance revenue ambition with predictability and cost efficiency.
The Chamber has cautioned that policy measures perceived as revenue-driven, rather than trade-enabling, risk pushing more commerce into informal channels and weakening investor confidence.
These concerns came sharply into focus during the controversy surrounding the proposed 4 per cent Free-on-Board levy introduced under the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023.
The intense backlash from manufacturers, importers, and business associations, eventually leading to its suspension, highlighted the sensitivity of revenue reforms in a fragile economic climate.
For industry players, the episode reinforced fears that fiscal urgency may sometimes outpace stakeholder consultation.
An analyst, Chigozie Okoro, said, “The Customs revenue boom may reflect sharper operational focus and leadership clarity, but whether it represents deep institutional transformation or a high-pressure response to fiscal urgency remains an open question.”
A central pillar of the Adeniyi era remains the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023, which replaced the colonial-era Customs and Excise Management Act of 1958.
The law grants the Service greater autonomy, modern governance structures, and closer alignment with international customs standards.
While widely welcomed as long overdue, critics, both within and outside the trading community, note that legislation alone does not transform institutions.
Implementation remains uneven across commands, discretionary powers still shape port operations, and long-standing cultural practices within the Service have proven resistant to rapid change.
For many operators, the real test is not what the law permits on paper, but how consistently it is applied at ports and border posts.
Under Adeniyi, Customs has rolled out trade-facilitation initiatives such as the Authorised Economic Operator programme, Time Release Studies at major ports, and a One-Stop-Shop clearance model aimed at reducing cargo dwell time.
The ongoing Customs Trade Modernisation Project and the proposed e-Customs platform promise deeper digitisation and long-term efficiency gains.
Yet industry feedback suggests that execution remains uneven. Port users report wide variations in clearance timelines, frequent system downtime, power supply disruptions, and persistent overlaps among multiple border agencies.
As a result, reforms that appear robust at the policy level often lose momentum at the point of execution, where traders ultimately feel their impact.
Customs has also recorded notable enforcement successes, with thousands of seizures in 2024 alone, ranging from arms and narcotics to wildlife products and smuggled petroleum.
These operations reflect improved intelligence gathering and inter-agency cooperation. Still, analysts and industry stakeholders caution that enforcement victories often appear episodic rather than systemic.
Nigeria’s porous borders remain a structural vulnerability, and without deeper reforms in border management, deterrence risks will be temporary rather than enduring.
Within the Service, Adeniyi’s leadership style, marked by officer engagement, training programmes, and welfare reviews, has reportedly boosted morale.
Freight forwarders and licensed agents concede that access to Customs leadership has improved compared with previous administrations.
However, industry players insist that predictability matters more than dialogue alone. Stable procedures, transparent valuation processes, and uniform application of rules, they argue, are what ultimately determine whether the cost of doing business at Nigerian ports will fall.
President Tinubu’s decision to extend Adeniyi’s tenure signals confidence in the current reform trajectory. But economic volatility, unresolved litigation around customs modernisation, and the risk of reform fatigue remain significant threats.
The Customs revenue boom may reflect a sharper operational focus and clearer leadership.
Whether it represents profound, self-sustaining institutional transformation or a high-pressure response to fiscal urgency remains an open question.
Ultimately, Adeniyi’s legacy will be judged not by record collections alone, but by whether the Nigeria Customs Service emerges as a predictable, technology-driven, and trade-friendly institution capable of sustaining performance long after the revenue headlines fade.
