The Kirikiri Lighter Terminal (KLT) Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has disclosed significant revenue growth, generating N13.7 billion between January and October 2025.
The achievement represents a 47 per cent rise compared with the N9.4 billion recorded during the same period in 2024.
The outgoing Controller of the Command, now elevated to Assistant Comptroller General (ACG), Eghosa Edelduok, revealed the figures on Monday during a send-off ceremony held in her honour in Lagos.
Edelduok, celebrating the milestone, attributed the performance to a combination of deliberate reforms, improved collaboration, and enhanced trade facilitation strategies implemented under her watch.
“This growth did not happen by chance,” she said. “It is the outcome of deliberate reforms, increased stakeholder engagement and improved trade facilitation within the terminal.”
Reforms revived moribund terminals
Reflecting on her tenure, Edelduok said the Command faced major operational setbacks when she assumed duty.
“When I assumed duty, several terminals under KLT were moribund,” she recalled.
Through proactive engagement and continuous dialogue with terminal operators, Customs officers, and port users, she said operations were revived across multiple facilities.
She disclosed that ESS Libra Terminal, for instance, now handles 50 to 60 containers monthly, while others have experienced similar boosts following improved access routes, reduced delays, and streamlined procedures.
Faster cargo clearance, improved compliance
Edelduok also highlighted major improvements in cargo clearance timelines, noting that compliant consignments were now processed and released within 48 hours.
She said increased compliance by traders and clearing agents had become the “backbone of the revenue leap,” as more stakeholders chose KLT for its efficiency and “friendlier operational environment.”
She emphasised that the renewed trust from stakeholders helped shift long-held perceptions that KLT was slow or bottleneck-prone.
“Stakeholder cooperation helped us change perceptions, attracting more importers who had previously avoided the terminal due to fears of delays and bottlenecks,” she added.
Teamwork, CSR and institutional support
Edelduok commended officers of the Command, sister agencies and terminal operators for the synergy that defined her 18-month administration.
She also expressed gratitude to the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, for his support and for entrusting her with leadership responsibilities that positioned her for elevation to the management cadre.
One of her most notable achievements, she said, was the successful delivery of a major Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project — a fully completed block of classrooms and an equipped library for inmates at the Kirikiri Medium Correctional Centre. She described it as “a defining legacy.”
Commitment to legitimate trade
Looking ahead, the new ACG assured stakeholders that the Command would continue to support legitimate trade and would intensify efforts to curb illicit activities.
She warned that KLT would not tolerate the movement of fake drugs, cannabis, or contraband goods.
Edelduok closed her remarks on a hopeful note, stating: “My new office comes with greater responsibility, but I leave KLT prepared, fulfilled and hopeful for even greater growth at the Command.”
Stakeholders at the terminal also paid glowing tributes to Edelduok for her service and leadership. Deputy Comptroller of Customs, Funmilayo Adedokun, who heads the Vehicle Seat Unit, described Edelduok as a transformational leader.
What you should know
The figure signals growth in revenue generated at Nigerian ports. The Apapa Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service had generated N304 billion in October 2025, the highest monthly revenue ever collected by any customs command in the country’s history.
- The Area Controller, Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba, disclosed that the October revenue surpassed the N264 billion recorded in October 2024, setting a new national record.
- According to Oshoba, the command has so far generated N2.4 trillion between January and October 2025, exceeding the total revenue it collected in the whole of 2024.
