By Shola Fadeyi
The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) handled imports which Cost , Insurance and Freight(CIF) rose by 26.7 per cent in the first quarter of 2025,as against the level in the corresponding period of 2024, as the Service recorded a shift, towards higher-value goods in its trade facilitation process.
The Customs treated 327,928 Single Goods Declarations (SGDs) with a total mass of 4,910,640,283.33 kilograms and CIF value of over ₦14.8 billion as against ₦11.6 billion with CIF value in Q1 2024.
The number of SGDs handled during the period also represents a 5.28% increase in the number of import transactions compared to the 311,492 SGDs processed in Q1 2024, reflecting growing confidence in Customs trade facilitation measures.
The significant 40.14% increase in the mass of imports processed by the Customs from 3,504,173,117.33 kg in Q1 2024, likewise showed a robust growth in import volumes.
In Q1 2025, the Service processed 8,153 export shipments (SGDs), representing a 6.4% decrease from Q4 2024 (8,710 SGDs) and a 24.4% decline from Q1 2024 (10,786 SGDs).
Also, despite fewer transactions, during the period, export mass reached 5.03 billion kilograms – a 10% reduction from Q4 2024’s 5.58 billion kg but a remarkable 348% increase from Q1 2024’s 1.12 billion kg. The CIF value stood at ₦21.51 trillion, showing a 19% increase from Q4 2024’s ₦18.07 trillion while remaining stable compared to Q1 2024’s ₦21.58 trillion.
According to Customs, the export data is clearly suggestive of Nigeria’s accelerating shift toward bulk commodity exports, with significantly larger shipments being processed through fewer transactions, while maintaining consistent total export value – reflecting both changing trade patterns and improved processing efficiency in our export systems.
It said trade facilitation remains a core focus of its operations, as it continues striving to balance its revenue collection and enforcement responsibilities with the need to promote legitimate trade.
