The Lilypond Export Command (LEXC) of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) says it recorded an export value of $792.56 million in the second quarter of the year.

The Customs Area Controller of the command, Samuel Ariyibi, this known at a news conference on Wednesday in Lagos.

Mr Ariyibi said the figure increased by $192.96 million over the $599.60 million recorded in the same period of 2025, representing 24.35 per cent growth rate.

He said during the review period, the command processed 5,510 export containers, a rise from the 3,732 containers handled during the corresponding period in 2025.

The area controller said this was a difference of 1,778 containers, which translated to a 32.27 per cent growth in container throughput.

He said exports were categorised into four primary segments: agricultural products, manufactured goods, solid minerals, and others.

Mr Ariyibi said agricultural produce remained a leading export, with a total value of $422.08 million in the second quarter of the year.

He explained that the figure reflected an increase of $52.24 million from $369.84 million recorded in the corresponding period of 2025.

Mr Ariyibi said for manufactured goods, the command processed exports worth $350.67 million in the second quarter of the year, representing an increase of $230.37 million compared to $120.30 million recorded in the second quarter of 2025.

According to him, the jump points to Nigeria’s increasing industrial output and export diversification efforts.

He said solid mineral exports declined from $91.15 million in the second quarter of 2025 to $7.17 million in the second quarter of the year, noting that the reduction aligns with government policy on local value addition before export.

Mr Ariyibi said under the Nigeria Export Supervision Scheme (NESS), the command generated N5.38 billion in the same period of the year.

He stated, “This report highlights our key operations as a command solely dedicated to the processing of containerised exports, following the consolidation directive of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi.”

Mr Ariyibi said NESS collection increased by N512.02 million compared to the N4.86 billion recorded in the second quarter of  2025, representing 9.52 per cent growth.

He added that the command generated N95.26 million as an export surcharge during the period, a decrease of N54.13 million from the N149.39 million recorded in the second quarter of 2025.

The area controller said the command maintained a strong collaborative relationship with partner government agencies, including the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON).

Mr Ariyibi said that the agencies that partner with the command were Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) Port Police and the NAFDAC.

Mr Ariyibi commended the comptroller-general of customs for his support and for providing an enabling environment that promotes trade facilitation, especially in the non-oil export sector.

He urged stakeholders, exporters, freight forwarders, and haulage operators to remain compliant and avoid activities contrary to extant laws, noting, “Ignorance will not be accepted as an excuse.”

Mr Ariyibi also called on them to take advantage of the command’s open-door policy and familiarise themselves with export prohibition guidelines to ensure proper and legal trade processing. 

(NAN)