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The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Lilypond Export Command recorded an export value of $792.56 million in the second quarter of 2026, marking a decline from the $925.8 million processed in the first quarter of the year.
The quarter-on-quarter drop of $133.24 million, or 14.4%, was disclosed by Comptroller Samuel Ariyibi, Customs Area Controller of the Lilypond Export Command, during a news conference held in Lagos on Wednesday.
Despite the decline from the previous quarter, Ariyibi said the command’s export performance remained stronger than a year earlier, with export value rising by 24.35% from $599.60 million recorded in Q2 2025.
What they are saying
Ariyibi said the command’s performance reflects its role as the country’s dedicated hub for containerised export processing.
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- “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.”
He said the command processed 5,510 export containers during Q2 2026, compared with 3,732 containers in the corresponding period of 2025, representing an increase of 1,778 containers and a 32.27% growth in container throughput.
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Lilypond’s Q2 performance comes after a particularly strong first quarter in which the command processed $925.8 million in exports, a 38% increase over Q1 2025.
A comparison of the two quarters, Q1 2026, and Q2 2026, suggests that export activity moderated in Q2 even though year-on-year growth remained positive.
- Agricultural exports, which were the largest export segment in both quarters, declined significantly from $608.46 million in Q1 to $422.08 million in Q2.
- However, manufactured goods increased from $297.36 million in Q1 to $350.67 million in Q2, reinforcing the sector’s expanding contribution to non-oil exports and industrial diversification.
Solid mineral exports remained weak, rising slightly from $5.23 million in Q1 to $7.17 million in Q2, but staying far below the levels recorded in 2025. Customs attributed the decline to the government’s policy of encouraging local processing and value addition before export.
The Q2 data suggests that while manufacturing exports strengthened, the slowdown in agricultural exports weighed on the command’s overall export value compared with the previous quarter.
What you should know
The Lilypond Export Command has become a central component of Nigeria’s non-oil export infrastructure following the Customs Service’s consolidation of containerised export processing.
- Earlier, the command reported generating N7.1 billion in NESS revenue in the first quarter of 2025, highlighting the growing importance of export-related collections.
- Customs also disclosed that the command processed 27,721 containers and non-oil exports valued at $1.586 billion between January and June 2025, underscoring its expanding role in facilitating export trade.
Industry operators say export documentation has increasingly been centralised through the Lilypond Export Command in Lagos, with approvals processed there before cargo is cleared for movement through major ports including Apapa, Tin Can Island, PTML, and Lekki.
The latest Q2 figures indicate that although export value eased from the record pace seen in the first quarter, the command continues to record stronger annual growth and rising manufactured export volumes, reflecting sustained momentum in Nigeria’s non-oil export sector.
