A single customs command at one Lagos seaport just pulled in more revenue in three months than many federal agencies collect in a full year.

The Tin Can Island Port Command of the Nigeria Customs Service generated ₦401.01 billion between January and March 2026, according to figures disclosed during a leadership handover ceremony in Lagos on May 23, 2026. That collection followed a 2025 fiscal year in which the command pulled in ₦1.609 trillion, beating its annual target by more than ₦85 billion.

The story behind these figures involves a leadership transition, a digital overhaul of port operations, and contraband seizures worth tens of billions of naira.

Tin Can Customs collected ₦401 billion in Q1 2026 after smashing its 2025 target

The ₦401.01 billion first-quarter figure emerged during the handover from Assistant Comptroller-General Frank Onyeka to Comptroller Joe Anani, who previously served as Customs Area Controller at Ports and Terminal Multiservices Limited, Nairametrics reported.

The command’s 2025 target stood at ₦1.524 trillion, and the final collection of ₦1.609 trillion represented a surplus of roughly ₦85 billion. First-half collections reached ₦747.07 billion, a 29.85% year-on-year increase over ₦575.36 billion in the same window of 2024, according to Nairametrics.

Tin Can Island’s role in Nigeria’s customs revenue engine

Tin Can Island is Nigeria’s second-largest revenue-generating customs command, trailing only Apapa Port, which recorded approximately ₦2.93 trillion in 2025, Ships & Ports reported. Together, these two Lagos commands produced the bulk of the ₦7.281 trillion the NCS collected nationwide, exceeding its ₦6.584 trillion target by ₦697 billion, Comptroller-General Bashir Adeniyi confirmed.

The NCS’s 2026 revenue target is projected at approximately ₦9 trillion, civil society groups noted. The Nigerian Ports Authority is also investing in upgrades, with NPA Managing Director Abubakar Dantsoho confirming that modernization groundbreaking at both ports was imminent. Apapa Port is about 100 years old and Tin Can Island is over 50, Dantsoho said, Zawya reported.

Tin Can Customs seized ₦35 billion in contraband alongside revenue gains

Onyeka disclosed that anti-smuggling operations yielded seizures of illicit drugs and prohibited goods valued at more than ₦35 billion during his tenure, Peoples Gazette reported. Eugene Nweke, Secretary of the Customs Consultative Committee, described Onyeka’s stewardship as a “practical testament to visionary leadership, administrative discipline and strategic intelligence,” Shipping Day Live News reported.

“This performance represents a significant year-on-year growth and reflects the impact of disciplined enforcement, improved compliance, process automation and sustained engagement with the trading community.” — Bashir Adeniyi, Comptroller-General of Customs, in remarks published by the Nigeria Customs Service

Across the NCS, enforcement operations resulted in more than 2,000 seizures in 2025, intercepting narcotics and counterfeit goods worth about ₦59 billion, Adeniyi confirmed at the January 2026 International Customs Day event, Legit.ng reported.

Digital reforms and B’Odogwu helped drive Tin Can’s collections

A key factor behind the revenue growth was deployment of the Unified Customs Management System, known locally as B’Odogwu. The domestically developed platform processed 3,450 Single Goods Declarations and exited 2,749 entries during its early implementation, Nairametrics reported.

Onyeka also eliminated redundant enforcement alerts that had created bottlenecks, improving turnaround time while maintaining effective control, The Nation reported. The NCS is preparing for a full transition to 100% paperless operations, with Adeniyi positioning digitization as a core pillar of the agency’s reform agenda.

Key figures from Tin Can Island Customs in 2025 and Q1 2026

• 2025 revenue target: ₦1.524 trillion, set by the federal government
• 2025 actual collection: ₦1.609 trillion, a surplus of approximately ₦85 billion
• Q1 2026 revenue: ₦401.01 billion collected between January and March 2026
• H1 2025 growth: 29.85% year-on-year increase, from ₦575.36 billion to ₦747.07 billion
• Anti-smuggling seizures: Illicit goods worth more than ₦35 billion seized during Onyeka’s tenure
• NCS 2025 national total: ₦7.281 trillion, exceeding the ₦6.584 trillion target by ₦697 billion
• NCS 2026 target: Projected at approximately ₦9 trillion

What Tin Can’s performance signals for Nigeria’s 2026 revenue outlook

Comptroller Joe Anani inherits a command that has consistently outperformed its benchmarks, but aging port infrastructure and global trade pressures could test that momentum. Non-oil sources now account for nearly two-thirds of total projected federal revenue, according to Nigeria’s 2026 budget projections.

The IMF upgraded Nigeria’s 2026 growth projection to 4.4%, citing macroeconomic stability and reform progress, according to the IMF’s January 2026 World Economic Outlook update as reported by AllAfrica. If Tin Can Island sustains a quarterly pace near ₦400 billion, the command would match its 2025 total and keep the country’s ₦9 trillion customs target within reach.