•FG pledges full implementation of NIMC’s new Act

By Progress Godfrey

ABUJA – The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) says Nigeria’s National Identity Database has enrolled more than 136 million Nigerians and legal residents.

Director-General of NIMC, Engr Abisoye Coker-Odusote, disclosed this during a courtesy visit to the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, as part of stakeholder engagements on the implementation of the new NIMC Act.

President Bola Tinubu signed the NIMC Act into law on June 26, 2026, replacing the 2007 Act.

Coker-Odusote said the new law strengthens Nigeria’s digital identity system by making the National Identification Number (NIN) the country’s primary identity under the “one person, one identity” policy. It also designates NIMC as the root certificate authority for the national digital infrastructure and introduces stronger data protection, cybersecurity and digital credentials.

Receiving the agency, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, described the new law as a major step towards improving national planning and development. He also praised NIMC for securing the passage of the legislation after years of effort.

Bagudu said the success of the law would depend on effective implementation and the benefits it delivers to Nigerians, calling for closer collaboration among the federal, state and local governments to eliminate multiple identity databases.

He stressed that a reliable national identity database would improve evidence-based policymaking, planning, resource allocation and public service delivery by providing accurate demographic and socio-economic data across the country.

The minister also urged NIMC to strengthen data governance, privacy protection and cybersecurity, while developing safeguards to address emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and protect citizens’ personal data.

He said the federal government remains committed to the full implementation of the new NIMC Act to build a secure, trusted and inclusive national identity system that supports governance, service delivery and economic development.

Seeks Reps’ approval for N11.27tn 2026 budget

By Gift ChapiOdekina, Abuja

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) yesterday   disclosed that it exceeded its 2025 revenue target by generating N7.277 trillion, surpassing its target of N6.584 trillion by 10.24 per cent, even as it presented its proposed N11.274 trillion 2026 budget to the House of Representatives Committee on Customs and Excise.

The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, made the disclosure during the budget defence before the committee in Abuja.

Speaking at the session, Chairman of the House Committee on Customs and Excise, Rep. Leke Abejide, said the exercise was in fulfilment of the National Assembly’s constitutional responsibility to scrutinise the agency’s budget estimates.

Presenting the executive summary, Adeniyi attributed the strong revenue performance to improved operational efficiency despite several government fiscal incentives that reduced customs earnings.

He explained that while Customs collected N7.277 trillion between January and December 2025, several government policies including duty waivers on healthcare products, compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles, electric vehicles, and import duty exemption certificates had significant revenue implications.

According to him, the suspension of excise duties on telecommunications services and the continued implementation of various tax relief measures also affected collections.

He further disclosed that Customs received only N808.86 billion, representing about 71.4 per cent of its approved N1.132 trillion expenditure budget for 2025 due to delays in implementing the funding framework introduced under the Nigeria Customs Service Act.

The Customs boss explained that the agency relied on the old seven per cent cost-of-collection model until August 2025 before transitioning to the new four per cent Free-on-Board (FOB) funding mechanism.

“The variance between what was approved and what we received resulted from the delayed implementation of the new funding structure,” he said.

Looking ahead, the Customs Service projected a revenue target of N11.274 trillion for 2026.Adeniyi said the projection comprises N5.542 trillion from federation accounts, N1.495 trillion from non-federation revenue, N2.973 trillion from import Value Added Tax (VAT), and N1.264 trillion from the four per cent FOB collection.

The Comptroller-General appealed to lawmakers to approve the budget, expressing confidence that the proposed funding would strengthen Customs’ capacity to improve revenue generation, facilitate legitimate trade and support Nigeria’s economic growth.

By Udeme Akpan, Energy Editor

Nigeria’s Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) exports rose   by one million metric tonnes (Mt) in 2025 to 14.78 Mt, valued at N20.0 trillion,   from   13.78 Mt   in 2024, valued at   N18.89 trillion, reinforcing its position among the world’s leading LNG suppliers as global trade climbed to a record 436.98 Mt, according to the 2026 World LNG Report.

Based on the current global LNG price of about $990 per metric tonne, Nigeria’s 14.78 million metric tonnes of LNG exports in 2025 had an estimated market value of $14.63 billion, translating to approximately N20.06 trillion at the prevailing official exchange rate of N1,371 per US dollar. Similarly   Nigeria’s 13.78 million metric tonnes of LNG exports in 2024 had an estimated market value of $13.78 billion, translating to approximately N18.89 trillion.

The report showed that Nigeria accounted for 3.4 per cent of global LNG exports in 2025, ranking seventh among the world’s largest exporters behind the United States, Qatar, Australia, Russia, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Nigeria’s improved performance also helped lift Africa’s total LNG exports by 1.8 Mt to 39.77 Mt during the year, despite lower shipments from Algeria and Egypt.

Globally, LNG trade expanded by 25.74 Mt, or 6.3 per cent, to a record 436.98 Mt in 2025, driven mainly by increased exports from the United States, Qatar, Malaysia, Angola and Nigeria.

The report stated: “The 25.74 Mt increase in 2025 LNG trade was driven by rising output from the United States (+22.3 Mt), Qatar (+4.3 Mt), Malaysia (+1.1 Mt), Angola (+1.1 Mt), and Nigeria (+1.0 Mt).”

Nigeria exported 14.78 Mt of LNG in 2025, up from about 13.78 Mt recorded in 2024, consolidating its position as one of Africa’s largest LNG exporters.

Only the United States, with 110.74 Mt, Qatar with 81.51 Mt, Australia with 80.32 Mt, Russia with 30.52 Mt, Malaysia with 28.80 Mt and Indonesia with 16.55 Mt exported more LNG than Nigeria during the period.

Within Africa, Nigeria remained a key growth driver alongside Angola, whose exports increased by 1.1 Mt, while new production from the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim project enabled Mauritania and Senegal to record their first LNG exports of 1.22 Mt.

Overall, African LNG exports rose to 39.77 Mt in 2025 from 37.97 Mt in the previous year.

Nigeria’s improved export performance comes as the country seeks to expand gas production and monetisation under its “Decade of Gas” initiative while increasing foreign exchange earnings from natural gas.

The higher exports suggest improved utilisation of existing LNG infrastructure despite persistent challenges facing domestic gas supply, pipeline security and upstream investment.