General
Nigeria Customs Targets N11.07tn Revenue for 2026
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has proposed a revenue target of N11.07 trillion for the 2026 fiscal year, saying it will rely on deeper automation, intelligence-driven enforcement and enhanced trade facilitation to meet the ambitious goal.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Mr Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed this on Monday while presenting the agency’s 2026 budget proposal before the House of Representatives Committee on Customs and Excise.
According to him, the projected revenue comprises N5.54 trillion from federation accounts, N1.49 trillion from non-federation accounts, N2.27 trillion from import Value Added Tax (VAT), and N1.26 trillion from the four per cent Free-on-Board (FOB) Cost of Collection.
Mr Adeniyi said the agency would deepen automation through the Unified Customs Information System, popularly known as B’Odogwu, strengthen post-clearance audits, expand intelligence-led enforcement and improve trade facilitation to achieve the target.
“The Unified Customs Management System is now up and running very well. We believe it provides the platform for robust revenue collection,” he said.
He added that reforms implemented in collaboration with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Customs Organisation (WCO) had significantly strengthened post-clearance audit operations.
“Through that, we are able to carry out real-time system audits and continue to recover revenue on a daily basis,” he said.
The customs boss also said the Authorised Economic Operator Programme and the Advance Ruling Programme were now fully operational and expected to improve compliance while facilitating legitimate trade.
Mr Adeniyi, however, acknowledged that recently approved tariff reductions on imported vehicles could moderate revenue growth, even though new excise measures expected under the 2026 fiscal policy may boost collections.
He confirmed that import duty on used vehicles had been reduced from 15 per cent to five per cent, while duty on brand-new vehicles was cut from 20 per cent to 10 per cent.
Responding to lawmakers’ concerns over the likely impact of the policy, Adeniyi said it was too early to assess its effectiveness because implementation only began on May 1, 2026.
“This is a new policy. It takes an average of about 90 days before we begin to see its full effects,” he said.
He stressed that while the Nigeria Customs Service provides technical advice on trade trends and revenue implications, fiscal policy decisions remain the responsibility of the Federal Ministry of Finance.
On expenditure, the Service proposed N421.70 billion for personnel costs, N307.77 billion for overheads and N565.93 billion for capital projects in the 2026 budget.
Mr Adeniyi said the Customs currently has 15,969 personnel, with 3,927 new recruits expected to join before the end of the year. He noted that capital spending would prioritise completion of ongoing projects, acquisition of operational equipment, expansion of ICT infrastructure and execution of existing contractual obligations.
The Customs chief also defended the agency’s 2025 performance, disclosing that it generated N7.28 trillion between January and December 2025, exceeding its annual revenue target of N6.58 trillion by 10.24 per cent, despite government-approved tax waivers and fiscal incentives.
He noted that about N34.54 trillion worth of imports benefited from duty exemptions and waivers during the year, reducing potential revenue collections.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Mr Bosun Tijani, has announced that Nigeria will launch a new alphanumeric postcode system on October 1, 2026, with every home expected to have a unique postcode.
Mr Tijani disclosed the development in a video post on X, describing the new system as a more precise and digitally oriented approach to addressing locations across the country.
He said the initiative would mark a significant shift in Nigeria’s postal addressing system by assigning unique postcodes to individual homes.
The initiative marks a major step in Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda. By replacing the outdated numeric-only system, the alphanumeric codes provide a more flexible and scalable framework that can accommodate the country’s rapid urban growth and diverse settlement patterns.
For emphasis, an alphanumeric postcode system is a postal indexing system that uses a combination of both letters (alpha) and numbers (numeric), along with spaces or punctuation, to identify specific geographic locations, streets, or individual buildings for mail delivery.
Unlike purely numeric postcode systems (such as the 5-digit US ZIP Code or 5-digit codes used in some European countries), alphanumeric codes offer a much higher number of unique combinations using fewer total characters. This flexibility allows postal authorities to pinpoint locations with incredible precision, often down to a single side of a street or a specific large building.
“On October 1st 2026 Nigeria’s new Alphanumeric Postcode System goes live,” Mr Tijani said.
“For the first time, every home will be assigned a unique postcode that’s simple, precise and built for a digital future,” he added.
The minister urged Nigerians to prepare to generate their individual postcodes ahead of the launch.
The new system is expected to strengthen Nigeria’s digital addressing infrastructure and improve the identification and location of homes and properties for postal and other location-based services.
The initiative is being implemented in collaboration with the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) as part of broader efforts to modernise the country’s addressing and digital infrastructure.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, has been directed to give an account to Nigerians on how the current government has fared since its inception on May 29, 2023.
This directive was given by President Bola Tinubu in a message posted on his verified social media handles on Wednesday.
This coincides with the commencement of campaigns for the 2027 presidential election scheduled for January 16.
According to the timetable of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), candidates seeking to become the country’s president are eligible to kick off their campaigns from today, Wednesday, August 19, 2026.
In his message today, Mr Tinubu said, “When we began this journey of reform in 2023, I promised that the difficult decisions we were making would serve the purpose of building an economy that works better for you and a country that is stronger for our children.
“Today, your government presents The Reforms Scorecard. It sets out what our reforms have achieved, what they have cost us, and the greater costs and harms we have prevented by acting when we did.
“I have therefore directed the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, to give an account to Nigerians, to explain the numbers, the choices we have made, the progress recorded, and the work that remains.
“You deserve to see the numbers. You deserve to know what has changed and what these reforms mean for you, your family, your business and our country.
“This is your government. This is your country. This is our account to you.”
Shortly after he took the oath of office over three years ago, President Tinubu declared that subsidies on petroleum products were gone. He later approved foreign exchange (FX) reforms, which devalued the Nigerian Naira, shooting from about N800 per Dollar to nearly N2,000 per Dollar. However, it is currently slightly above N1,340 per Dollar in the official market.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited and the Nigerian Agip Exploration (NAE) Limited are advancing discussions on the development of deepwater assets estimated to hold 500 million barrels of oil reserves.
The development followed a meeting between the chief executive of the state oil company, Mr Bayo Ojulari, and Agip’s Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Mr Maurizio Pinna, in Abuja.
The talks focused on ongoing work on deepwater acreage jointly held by NNPC, NAE and Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) as well as plans to bring the associated resources into production.
According to NNPC, the acreage comprises the Zabazaba and Etan deepwater fields, with estimated reserves of about 500 million barrels.
The fields are located in Nigeria’s deepwater terrain and are considered significant to the country’s efforts to expand its upstream oil production base, particularly as operators seek to advance projects capable of delivering additional barrels over the medium to long term.
While details of the expected production timeline were not disclosed, the meeting underscores renewed industry focus on unlocking Nigeria’s deepwater resources and growing crude oil production.
The acreage comprises licences converted from OPL 245 and is operated by NAE in partnership with NNPC Limited and SNEPCo.
Mr Ojulari and Mr Pinna also reviewed the work currently underway on the assets and the expected production outlook, with the discussions centred on advancing deepwater development.
The engagement comes amid renewed efforts to attract investment into Nigeria’s offshore petroleum resources and increase national oil production.
