The Lilypond Export Terminal Customs Command records $792.5m export value in three months, and processed 5,510 containers
By Patrick Ogboru
The Lilypond Export Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) recorded exports valued at $792.5 million in the second quarter of 2026, processing a total of 5,510 export containers between April and June.
The Command’s export performance represented an increase of $192.9 million, or 24.35 per cent, compared with the corresponding period in 2025.
Disclosing the figures during a press briefing on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, the Area Controller of the Command, Comptroller Samuel Olusanya Ariyibi, said the impressive performance reflected the Command’s commitment to facilitating non-oil exports and supporting the Federal Government’s economic diversification agenda.
A breakdown of the quarterly performance showed that export transactions valued at $274.8 million were processed in April 2026, compared with $237.5 million in April 2025, representing an increase of $37.2 million or 13.55 per cent.
In May, export value rose to $275.9 million, up from $180.9 million recorded in the corresponding month of 2025.
This represented an increase of $94.9 million, translating to 34.40 per cent growth.
Similarly, exports processed in June stood at $241.8 million, compared with approximately $181 million recorded in June 2025, reflecting an increase of about $60.8 million or 25.15 per cent.
Comptroller Ariyibi also disclosed that the Command handled 5,510 export containers during the quarter, compared with 3,732 containers in the same period of 2025. This represents an increase of 1,778 containers, translating to 32.27 per cent growth in container throughput.
Agricultural products accounted for the largest share of exports during the period, with shipments valued at $422.09 million, up from $369.85 million in the corresponding period of 2025.
This represented an increase of about $52.24 million, underscoring the sustained growth of Nigeria’s agricultural export sector.
Manufactured goods ranked second among export commodities, rising significantly from $120.3 million in the second quarter of 2025 to about $350.67 million in the same period of 2026.
The increase of approximately $230.37 million highlights the growing contribution of value-added products to Nigeria’s export earnings.
In contrast, exports of solid minerals declined sharply from about $91.16 million in the second quarter of 2025 to about $7.18 million during the review period, a drop of nearly $84 million.
According to the Area Controller, the decline aligns with the Federal Government’s policy of promoting local value addition and domestic processing of mineral resources before export.
On revenue, the Command generated ₦95.26 million as the 2.5 per cent Export Surcharge, compared with ₦149.40 million generated during the corresponding period in 2025.
This represented a decline of ₦54.13 million, or 36.24 per cent.
However, collections under the Nigeria Export Supervision Scheme (NESS) increased from ₦4.87 billion to ₦5.38 billion, representing a growth of approximately ₦512 million, or 9.52 per cent.
Speaking on the performance, Comptroller Ariyibi said: “The impressive performance recorded during the second quarter of 2026 reflects the Command’s unwavering commitment to trade facilitation, stakeholder engagement, compliance enforcement, and the implementation of Federal Government policies aimed at boosting non-oil exports.
“The Lilypond Export Command remains resolute in its mandate to facilitate legitimate exports, improve operational efficiency, and contribute significantly to Nigeria’s economic growth through increased non-oil export activities.”
He expressed appreciation to the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, and the Customs management team for their visionary leadership and continuous support.
The Area Controller also commended exporters, licensed customs agents, partner government agencies and other stakeholders for their cooperation, noting that their collaboration was instrumental to the Command’s strong second-quarter performance.
