LILYPOND COMMAND PROCESS OVER $752.8 MILLION EXPORT IN Q3

The press briefing.

Story by Dili Utomi

The Acting Customs Area Controller, Liliypond Export Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, Deputy Comptroller Olushola Oluyemi Salako, today
Wednesday, the 28th of October briefed the press on the performance of his Command.

It was a packed conference hall at the Enforcement Unit of the Command where the Acting CAC detailed some of the critical components of the Command’s activities over the past three months.

DC Salako who resumed at the Command on the 24th of August seems to be riding on the relative stability in operational activities at the Command and this has reflected on the figures that were released on the day.

While presenting his statement on the day, DC Salako had told the gathering that in the third quarter of 2026, Lilypond Export Command recorded a total export value of Seven Hundred and Fifty-Two Million, Eight Hundred and Fifty-Two Thousand, Four Hundred and Fifty-Two United States Dollars and Forty-Seven Cents (US$752,852,452.47), representing an increase of One Hundred and Sixty-Six Million, Seven Hundred Thousand, Three Hundred and Sixty-Nine United States Dollars and Twenty-Six Cents (US$166,700,369.26) over the Five Hundred and Eighty-Six Million, One Hundred and Fifty-Two Thousand, Eighty-Three United States Dollars and Twenty-One Cents (US$586,152,083.21) recorded in the corresponding period of 2025.

Officers at the briefing.

This, he said represents an increase of Twenty-Two Point One Four Per Cent (22.14%) in the 2026 export value compared with the corresponding period in 2025.

Again, DC Salako detailed the Command’s performance for the individual months, noting that a review of the monthly figures shows growth across all three months of the quarter.

In July, he said the export value increased from Two Hundred and Two Million, Six Hundred and Four Thousand, Two Hundred and Thirty-Nine United States Dollars and Seventy-Nine Cents (US$202,604,239.79) in 2025 to Two Hundred and Seventeen Million, Five Hundred and Twenty-Six Thousand, Six Hundred and Thirty-Three United States Dollars and Forty Cents (US$217,526,633.40) in 2026, representing a growth of Six Point Eight Six Per Cent (6.86%).

In August, export value rose from One Hundred and Seventy-Six Million, Six Hundred and Twenty-Eight Thousand, Seven Hundred and Eight United States Dollars and Sixty-Four Cents (US$176,628,708.64) to Two Hundred and NinetySeven Million, Nine Hundred and Nineteen Thousand, Seven Hundred and Thirty-One United States Dollars and Twenty-Two Cents (US$297,919,731.22), representing an increase of Forty Point Seven One Per Cent (40.71%).

More pictures from the briefing.

In September: Export value also increased from Two Hundred and Six Million, Nine Hundred and Nineteen Thousand, One Hundred and Thirty-Four United States Dollars and Seventy-Eight Cents (US$206,919,134.78) to Two Hundred and Thirty-Seven Million, Four Hundred and Six Thousand, Eighty-Seven United States Dollars and Eighty-Five Cents (US$237,406,087.85), representing a growth of Twelve Point Eight Four Per Cent (12.84%).

Agricultural exports declined from Three Hundred and FortySix Million, One Hundred and Seven Thousand, Eight Hundred and Fifty-Six United States Dollars and Sixty-Two Cents (US$346,107,856.62) in the third quarter of 2025 to Three Hundred and Ten Million, Nine Hundred and Eighty-One Thousand, Five Hundred and Twenty-Four United States Dollars and Eighty-Four Cents (US$310,981,524.84) in the third quarter of 2026. Despite this decline, the sector remains a significant contributor to the Command’s export portfolio.

The decline in the value of agricultural exports, he noted, should be viewed against the Federal Government’s increasing emphasis on value addition to raw agricultural produce before export. “The Command has continued to sensitise and enlighten exporters on the need to move beyond the export of raw commodities towards processing and value-added production. Exporters have increasingly embraced this direction, resulting in more agricultural produce being processed into manufactured and value-added products for export. This development is contributing to the significant increase recorded in manufactured goods and importantly, supports greater forex repatriation into the Nigerian economy”.

Under Manufactured Goods, according to the Acting CAC, the sector recorded remarkable growth, rising from One Hundred and Sixty-Nine Million, Nine Hundred and Two Thousand, Nine Hundred and Sixty-Two United States Dollar§ and Twenty-Three Cents (US$169,902,962.23) in 2025 to Four Hundred and Two Million, Five Hundred and Twenty Thousand, Seven Hundred and Ninety-Eight United States Dollars and Eighty-Two Cents (US$402,520,798.82) in 2026. This performance, he stated underscores the growing contribution of manufactured and value-added products to Nigeria’s non-oil export earnings.

In Solid Minerals, the CAC said that “Export value declined significantly from Sixty-Two Million, Two Hundred and Seventy-One Thousand, Twenty-Nine United States Dollars and Thirteen Cents (US$62,271,029.13) to Six Million, Four Hundred and Eighty-Seven Thousand, Thirty-Six United States Dollars and Fifty-Five Cents (US$6,487,036.55). The Command will continue to engage relevant stakeholders in the sector to better understand operational challenges and support legitimate export activities”.

DC Salako also added that other exports recorded an increase from Seven Million, Eight Hundred and Seventy Thousand, Two Hundred and Thirty-Five United States Dollars and Twenty-Three Cents (US$7,870,235.23) to Thirty-Two Million, Eight Hundred and Sixty-Three Thousand, Ninety-Two United States Dollars and Twenty-Six Cents (US$32,863,092.26), reflecting improved performance during the period under review.

The Acting Customs Area Controller making his speech at the press briefing.

Container throughput, the CAC noted, “shows that the Command recorded an increase in export container throughput during the quarter, rising from Ten Thousand, Nine Hundred and Eighty-Seven (10,987) containers in the third quarter of 2025 to Sixteen Thousand, Three Hundred and Forty-Five (16,345) containers in the corresponding period of 2026, representing an increase of Five Thousand, Three Hundred and Fifty-Eight (5,358) containers. This reflects the level of operational activity supporting export trade through the Command”.

Export collection had an increase which the Acting CAC says underscores the importance of efficient processing, accurate documentation and compliance with extant Customs procedures in supporting legitimate trade.

His words “the Two Point Five Per Cent (2.5%) Re-Export Surcharge recorded an increase of Ninety Million, Nineteen Thousand and Eighty Naira, Fifty-Six Kobo (%90,019,080.56), while NESS Charges increased by Five Hundred and Seventeen Million, Nine Hundred and Twenty-Two Thousand, Five Hundred and Seventy-Five Naira, Thirty-Five Kobo (€517,922,575.35) during the period under review”.

DC Salako commended his officers, compliant exporters, licensed Customs agents, export processing terminals (EPT’s), relevant government agencies and other stakeholders for their cooperation and commitment to the export process.

He said that the Command will continue to support legitimate trade through effective trade facilitation, timely dissemination of relevant information and consistent application of extant rules and regulations. At the same time, he warned “we will sustain our commitment to enforcing compliance with all applicable Customs laws and government policies”.

During the questions and answers session, DC Salako affirmed that all the relevant agencies are usually at the point of examination and that there has always been ‘good cooperation’ among sister agencies at the Command. He also clarified that the deep decline in revenue from solid minerals is as a result of government policy on semi processing and full processing of minerals before export and that this has also helped in improving the local use of such minerals.

DC Salako told the pressmen that his Command holds dearly to the policies of consolidation, collaboration and innovation of the Comptroller-General of Customs.

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