President Bola Tinubu inaugurated a N73 billion customs complex in Iperu, Ogun State, marking a major infrastructure push aimed at strengthening trade facilitation, enforcement, and revenue generation within the Nigeria Customs Service.
The project, which houses the Federal Operations Unit Zone ‘A’, spans 142 buildings on a 100-hectare site and is designed to deliver international-standard operational capacity for customs activities, particularly across Lagos and the South-West corridor. The inauguration took place in Ijebu North Local Government Area, underscoring the administration’s broader efforts to decentralize critical federal operations away from congested urban centres.
Speaking at the event, Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, said the facility would significantly improve operational efficiency, enhance officers’ welfare, and strengthen enforcement capabilities. He added that the expanded infrastructure is expected to support increased trade volumes while improving compliance and monitoring mechanisms. According to Adeniyi, the project is currently about 45% complete, despite its estimated N73 billion cost from inception. He appealed for a review of aspects of the initial approval to ensure its completion within the current administration’s tenure. The scale of the development reflects the growing demands on Customs operations, which he noted have outpaced the capacity of the long-standing Ikeja command office in Lagos.
“All FOU activities in Lagos will eventually move to Iperu,” Adeniyi said, explaining that operational expansion over the past three decades necessitated relocation to a more strategic and spacious environment. He added that the new site would centralize enforcement and logistics operations, improving coordination across land, sea, and air channels. The complex is also expected to feature a customs training college, warehouse facilities, and supporting infrastructure aimed at strengthening institutional capacity. Adeniyi disclosed that officers have already been deployed to the Ogun airport to manage cargo operations, following federal approvals secured over the past six months. He lauded Governor Dapo Abiodun for providing land for the project and acknowledged former Comptroller-General Ahmed Alli for initiating the development and securing the site.
The inauguration aligns with recent revenue growth trends within the Nigeria Customs Service. In May 2025, Nairametrics reported that the Ogun II Area Command generated over N15 billion between January and April 2025, reflecting the rising commercial activity in the state. Controller of the command, Bisi Alade, said the figure represented a 40% increase from the N9 billion recorded during the same period in 2024, attributing the improvement to stronger enforcement, enhanced compliance, and coordinated operational strategies.
At the national level, the NCS also recorded robust performance, generating N1.75 trillion in revenue in the first quarter of 2025, surpassing its quarterly target of N1.645 trillion by N106.5 billion. The figure represents a 29.96% increase compared to the N1.35 trillion recorded in Q1 2024, highlighting sustained growth in customs collections. A breakdown of the performance shows that January 2025 revenue stood at N647.88 billion, exceeding its monthly target of N548.33 billion by 18.12% and posting a 65.77% year-on-year increase. February collections reached N540.11 billion, surpassing its target by 1.3% and recording a 19.97% increase compared to the same period in 2024.
