Some wheat brand, orange peel and other export with a Free on Board (FOB) value of N3.61 trillion ($2.19 billion) have been shipped to Europe and other destinations through Onne and Lagos ports.
Other cargoes exported through the ports comprise of agro and mineral resources namely: sesame seeds, aluminum ingot, granular urea in bulk, cashew nuts, cassia seeds, cotton hibiscus flower, ginger, soya beans, charcoal among others.
At Onne, a total of 2.71 million metric tonnes of goods worth $955.99 million were handled by Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Area II Command, Onne Port in 2024, while exports valued at $1.23 billion were shipped out of Lilypond terminal through the Lagos Port in 11 months.
According to Area II Controller of the command, Comptroller Mohammed Babandede, exports play a crucial role in any nation’s economy, noting that Nigeria relying on it to promotes economic growth, job creation and provides favourable balance of trade and exchange rate for the naira to the dollar.
At Lilypond, it was revealed that 27, 595 containers laden with agricultural produce, manufactured goods, solid mineral among were shipped out of the country in 11 months to various destinations.
Other exports are the manufactured goods such as solid minerals, foods and beverages, empty bottles, Lithium ore, Aluminium ore, Iron Ore, manganese, zinc, and others.
The command noted that there had been a staggering increase in cargo shipments and revenue during the third quarter of 2024, explaining that the surge in export activity could be attributed to the consolidation of export seats at the Lilypond Export Command, which has streamlined export processes and eliminated bureau – cratic bottlenecks.
Also, the Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi said that there had been efforts to streamline export processes, including automating ports by deploying scanners by 2025.
He expressed concerns about Nigeria Export Proceeds (NXP) issues and forex repatriation and stressed the importance of collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and regional cooperation under the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).
Adeniyi revealed that the country earned N3.04 trillion ($1.9 billion) from non-oil exports between January and November 2024, saying that there was progress in the country’s economic diversification efforts.
Meanwhile, the Area Controller of Lilypond Export Terminal command, Comptroller Ajibola Odusanya had said that there was 368.02 per cent increase in tonnage of exported goods, rising from 86,783.93 metric tonnes to 405,979.72 metric tonnes.
According to him, between January and June, the command processed no fewer than 6,717 containers (Twenty Equivalent Units) of agricultural produce valued at N433 billion ($288.8 million) have been processed for export between January and June 2024.
Also, he revealed that a total of 2,488x 20 feet and 40 feet containers were stuffed with agricultural produce, generating earnings amounting to N203 billion ($135.4 million) between April and June 2024.
Also, between January and March, the comptroller added that command processed 4,229 (20 feet and 40 feet) containers filled with agricultural produce, generating earnings amounting to N230 billion ($153.4 million).
Odusanya attributed this impressive performance to the enhanced efficiency and effective enforcement of Customs regulations, stressing that the command’s focus on trade facilitation has yielded significant gains, leading to faster processing times for export documentation, improved compliance with NCS guidelines, higher revenue collection, and a more transparent export value chain.
He further detailed the impact of the consolidation, stating that the Nigerian Export Supervision Scheme (NESS) revenue collection saw an extraordinary growth of 733.22 per cent, climbing from N640. 2 million to N5.33 billion, while the duty paid on exports of previously imported goods increased by 359.12 per cent, from N29,63 million to N136 million.
