Exports processed through the Lilypond Export Command of the Nigeria Customs Service rose sharply to $925.84 million in the first quarter of 2026, representing a 38.68 per cent increase over the $667.60 million recorded in the corresponding period of 2025.
The Controller of the Command, Comptroller S.O. Ariyibi, said the performance reflects sustained efforts to deepen export trade facilitation and align with national economic diversification goals.
Ariyibi made this known during a press briefing in Lagos on April 23, where he outlined the Command’s operational performance for Q1 2026 and highlighted ongoing reforms aimed at improving efficiency in export processing.
He said export remains critical to Nigeria’s economy, noting that it boosts foreign exchange earnings, supports GDP growth and reduces the country’s vulnerability to external shocks.
“While crude oil continues to dominate, non-oil exports such as agricultural produce, solid minerals and manufactured goods are essential for job creation, economic diversification and stabilisation of the naira,” he said.
The Comptroller added that the Command has intensified stakeholder engagements in line with the policy direction of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, while also preparing officers for the rollout of the National Single Window platform to streamline export documentation.
Providing a breakdown of the quarterly performance, Ariyibi said January 2026 recorded a marginal decline of 1.12 per cent to $267.66 million, compared to $270.70 million in January 2025.
February, however, saw a 12.43 per cent increase, with exports rising to $253.12 million from $225.13 million, while March recorded a significant surge of 135.83 per cent to $425.48 million from $171.76 million in the same period last year.
Container throughput also grew substantially, with 19,014 export containers processed during the quarter, representing a 95.58 per cent increase over the 9,722 containers handled in Q1 2025.
A sectoral analysis showed that agricultural exports grew from $523.26 million in Q1 2025 to $608.46 million in Q1 2026, reflecting steady expansion in the segment.
Manufactured goods recorded the most significant growth, rising from $93.48 million to $297.36 million, an increase of $203.88 million, underscoring the sector’s growing role in driving economic diversification.
In contrast, exports of solid and extractive minerals declined sharply from $42.17 million to $5.23 million, which Ariyibi attributed to a deliberate policy shift towards local processing and value addition.
On revenue, export surcharge collections rose by 21.81 per cent to ₦199.36 million, up from ₦163.66 million in the same period of 2025.
Similarly, collections under the Nigeria Export Supervision Scheme (NESS) increased by ₦1.01 billion, or 20.15 per cent, from ₦5.01 billion to ₦6.03 billion.
The Comptroller urged exporters operating within the Command to comply strictly with existing regulations and avoid infractions that could hinder trade facilitation.
“The Command remains committed to continuous stakeholder engagement, capacity building and the provision of necessary support to facilitate legitimate export trade,” he said.
He added that these efforts are aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s economy through improved export performance and a favourable balance of trade.
