The Lilypond Export Command (LEXC) of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) processed exports valued at $792.56 million in the second quarter of 2026, representing a 24.35 per cent increase over the $599.60 million recorded in the corresponding period of 2025.
The Customs Area Controller of the command, Comptroller Samuel Ariyibi, disclosed this on Wednesday during a press briefing in Lagos, attributing the performance to increased export activities and improved trade facilitation measures.
According to him, the command handled 5,510 export containers during the review period, compared with 3,732 containers in the second quarter of 2025, reflecting an increase of 1,778 containers or 32.27 per cent.
Ariyibi said agricultural products remained the dominant export category, accounting for $422.08 million, up from $369.84 million recorded a year earlier.
He added that exports of manufactured goods surged to $350.67 million, an increase of $230.37 million over the $120.30 million posted in the corresponding period of 2025, describing the growth as evidence of Nigeria’s expanding industrial capacity and ongoing export diversification efforts.
In contrast, exports of solid minerals dropped sharply to $7.17 million from $91.15 million in the second quarter of 2025. Ariyibi said the decline aligns with the Federal Government’s policy encouraging local value addition before mineral exports.
On revenue generation, the area controller said the command collected N5.38 billion under the Nigeria Export Supervision Scheme (NESS), representing an increase of N512.02 million, or 9.52 per cent, over the N4.86 billion realised in the same period last year.
However, export surcharge collections declined to N95.26 million, down from N149.39 million in the second quarter of 2025.
Ariyibi noted that the command’s performance followed the consolidation directive of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, which designated Lilypond as the dedicated command for processing containerised exports.
He said the command continued to maintain close collaboration with key regulatory agencies, including the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), the Port Police and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), to ensure seamless export operations.
The controller commended the Comptroller-General for providing an enabling environment for trade facilitation, particularly in the non-oil export sector.
He also urged exporters, freight forwarders and haulage operators to comply with existing export regulations, warning that ignorance of the law would not be accepted as an excuse.
Ariyibi encouraged stakeholders to leverage the command’s open-door policy and acquaint themselves with export prohibition guidelines to ensure efficient and lawful export processing.