LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) – The Lilypond Export Command of the Nigeria Customs Service recorded $792.56m in export value in the second quarter of 2026, representing a 24.35 per cent increase over the $599.60m recorded in the corresponding period of 2025.
The Customs Area Controller of the command, Comptroller Samuel Ariyibi, disclosed this at a news conference in Lagos on Wednesday.
Ariyibi said the command’s export value increased by $192.96m during the period under review.
He said the command also processed 5,510 export containers in the second quarter, compared with 3,732 containers in the same period of 2025.
According to him, the increase of 1,778 containers represented a 32.27 per cent growth in container throughput.
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Ariyibi said exports processed by the command were categorised into four major segments: agricultural products, manufactured goods, solid minerals and others.
He said agricultural produce remained the leading export category, with a total value of $422.08m during the period.
The figure, he said, represented an increase of $52.24m from the $369.84m recorded in the second quarter of 2025.
On manufactured goods, Ariyibi said the command processed exports worth $350.67m, representing an increase of $230.37m over the $120.30m recorded in the corresponding period of 2025.
According to him, the increase reflected Nigeria’s growing industrial output and efforts to diversify exports.
He, however, said solid mineral exports declined from $91.15m in the second quarter of 2025 to $7.17m in the period under review.
Ariyibi said the decline was in line with the government’s policy of promoting local value addition before the export of solid minerals.
He said under the Nigeria Export Supervision Scheme, the command generated N5.38bn during the period under review.
“This report highlights our key operations as a command solely dedicated to the processing of containerised exports, following the consolidation directive of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi,” he said.
Ariyibi said NESS collections increased by N512.02m from the N4.86bn recorded in the second quarter of 2025, representing a 9.52 per cent increase.
He added that the command generated N95.26m as Export Surcharge during the period, a decline of N54.13m from the N149.39m recorded in the corresponding period of 2025.
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The area controller said the command maintained strong collaboration with partner government agencies, including the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Standards Organisation of Nigeria, Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service, Port Police and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control.
Ariyibi commended the Comptroller-General of Customs for his support and for creating an enabling environment for trade facilitation, particularly in the non-oil export sector.
He urged exporters, freight forwarders, haulage operators and other stakeholders to remain compliant with extant laws and regulations.
“Ignorance will not be accepted as an excuse,” he said.
Ariyibi also urged stakeholders to take advantage of the command’s open-door policy and familiarise themselves with export prohibition guidelines to ensure proper and lawful trade processing.
(NAN)