The Nigeria Customs Service is intensifying revenue recovery and compliance measures to close the gap between its collections and the Federal Government’s ₦11 trillion revenue target for 2026.
The Service has collected approximately ₦7 trillion as it enters the final quarter of the year, leaving about ₦4 trillion to be generated before the end of December.
The National Public Relations Officer of the Service, Deputy Comptroller Abdullahi Maiwada, disclosed this in an exclusive interview with Voice of Nigeria.
He expressed optimism that stronger enforcement and improved compliance would help Customs move closer to meeting the target.
“We are still trying to see how we can collect the ₦11 trillion target set by the Federal Government of Nigeria,” he said.
Maiwada explained that the Service was intensifying efforts to curb revenue leakages, improve the accuracy of import declarations and ensure that importers paid the appropriate duties and charges in line with government fiscal policies.
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He said the measures were aimed at strengthening revenue collection while ensuring that businesses complied with existing customs regulations.
The Customs spokesperson, however, stressed that revenue generation could not be pursued in isolation from the Service’s other statutory responsibilities, particularly trade facilitation and anti-smuggling operations.
According to him, the three functions are interconnected, noting that an excessive focus on revenue collection at the expense of trade facilitation and border enforcement could undermine the overall effectiveness of the Service.
He maintained that Customs would continue to balance revenue mobilisation with measures to facilitate legitimate trade and prevent the movement of prohibited goods across the country’s borders.
With approximately ₦4 trillion still required to meet the annual target, the final quarter will be critical in determining how close the Service comes to achieving its 2026 revenue projection.
