Lilypond Export Customs rakes in $925.8m in Q1
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Lilypond Export Command (LEXC), Lagos, processed exports valued at $925.84 million in the first quarter of 2026, with manufactured goods emerging as a major driver of the Command’s improved performance. The Controller of the Command, Comptroller Samuel Ariyibi, disclosed this during a press briefing held in Lagos. Ariyibi said the […]
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Lilypond Export Command (LEXC), Lagos, processed exports valued at $925.84 million in the first quarter of 2026, with manufactured goods emerging as a major driver of the Command’s improved performance.
The Controller of the Command, Comptroller Samuel Ariyibi, disclosed this during a press briefing held in Lagos.
Ariyibi said the performance reflected the Command’s commitment to trade facilitation and implementation of the policy direction of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi.
According to him, export trade remains crucial to Nigeria’s economy because of its contribution to foreign exchange earnings, economic diversification, job creation and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth.
He noted that the Command had intensified stakeholder engagements and operational reforms aimed at improving export processes within its area of responsibility.
The Customs boss also revealed that officers of the Command were being prepared for the implementation of the National Single Window platform to ensure seamless export documentation and processing.
Providing a breakdown of the quarterly performance, Ariyibi stated that export value in January 2026 declined slightly by 1.12 per cent to $267.66 million, compared to $270.70 million recorded in January 2025.
He added that February exports rose by 12.43 per cent from $225.13 million in 2025 to $253.12 million in 2026, while March witnessed a sharp increase of 135.83 per cent, with export value rising from $171.76 million to $425.48 million.
The Command also recorded significant growth in export container throughput during the review period.
Ariyibi disclosed that 19,014 export containers were processed in Q1 2026, representing an increase of 95.58 per cent over the 9,722 containers handled during the corresponding period of 2025.
On sectoral performance, agricultural exports increased from $523.26 million in Q1 2025 to $608.46 million in Q1 2026.
Manufactured goods exports also recorded remarkable growth, rising from $93.48 million to $297.36 million within the period under review.
He described the increase as evidence of the growing role of the manufacturing sector in driving Nigeria’s economic diversification agenda.
However, exports of solid and extractive minerals dropped significantly from $42.17 million in Q1 2025 to $5.23 million in Q1 2026.
Ariyibi attributed the decline to government policies encouraging local processing and value addition.
The Command further reported that export surcharge collections increased by 21.81 per cent to N199.36 million in Q1 2026, compared to N163.66 million recorded in the same period of 2025.
Similarly, collections under the Nigeria Export Supervision Scheme (NESS) rose from N5.01 billion to N6.03 billion, representing a 20.15 per cent increase.
Ariyibi urged exporters to comply with existing export regulations and government guidelines, assuring stakeholders of the Command’s continued support in facilitating legitimate export trade and strengthening Nigeria’s economy.