By Femi Anamelechi
The Nigeria Customs, Lilypond Export Command (LEXC), has announced a significant growth in exports by the Command in the first quarter of 2026,.The Controller of the Command, Comptrroller Samuel Ariyibi pointed out that the Command recorded an increased volume of export activities with significant growth when compared to the same period in 2025. Speaking during the media briefing held on April 23, 2026, at the Command office in Ijora, Lagos. the Controller reiterated the importance of exports to Nigeria’s economy. “Export trade remains a critical driver of foreign exchange earnings, economic diversification, and GDP growth” He stated that while the oil sector e continues to play major impact, agricultural produce, solid minerals, and manufactured goods play a vital role in driving the economic growth of Nigeria Cptr Samuel Ariyibi highlighted the significant growth of Export by the command under his leadership and further stated that the Command also intensified stakeholder engagements and aligned operations with the policy direction of the Comptroller-General of Customs.
He enumerated some of the stray measures the command has put in place to facilitate seamless exports trade According to him the command has made top level preparations to ensure Lillypod Export Command benefits from the recent National Single Window platform,by building the capacity and training officers to ensure the implementation of the new policies to facilitate export trade Comptr Aribiyi disclosed that Lilypond Export Command processed exports valued at $925.84 million in Q1 2026, representing a 38.68 percent increase over the $667.60 million recorded in Q1 2025.A review of performance by the different sectors the showed mixed trends within the quarter.The command in January 2026 recorded a drop of 1.12 percent, with exports valued at $267.66 million compared to $270.70 million in January 2025. February, however, saw improvement, with exports rising by 12.43 percent from $225.13 million to $253.12 million. The most significant growth occurred in March 2026, when exports surged by 135.83 percent, reaching $425.48 million compared to $171.76 million in March 2025.
Comptrroller Samuel Ariyibi also pointed out that recorded increased growth in container with a total of 19,014 export containers were processed in Q1 2026, representing an increase of 9,292 containers, or 95.58 percent, over the 9,722 containers handled during the same period in 2025. According to him Agricultural exports maintained a steady growth with the increase from $523.26 million in Q1 2025 to $608.46 million in Q1 2026, reflecting an increase of $85.20 million. He commended the resilience and determination of his team and officers and described the achievement as an encouraging sign of continued strength in Nigeria’s agricultural export segment.The performance also showed that Manufactured goods recorded the most significant improvement, rising from $93.48 million in Q1 2025 to $297.36 million in Q1 2026. The $203.88 million increase highlights the growing contribution of manufactured exports to economic diversification and industrial development.
The Command generated ₦199.36 million from the 2.5 percent increase of export in Q1 2026, compared to ₦163.66 million in Q1 2025, representing a 21.81 percent increase.Similarly, proceeds under the Nigeria Export Supervision Scheme (NESS) recorded growth. Collections rose by ₦1.01 billion, or 20.15 percent, from ₦5.01 billion in Q1 2025 to ₦6.03 billion in Q1 2026. Comptroller Ariyibi reaffirmed the commitment of the management team of Lillypod Export to continue to carry out their duties with diligence and also urged exporters operating within the Command to remain compliant with existing export regulations and avoid infractions.
