Customs Officers’ Wives Lead National Campaign For Green Border Initiative, To Plant 5,000 Trees
By Michael-Azeez Ogunsiji
ABEOKUTA – The Customs Officers’ Wives Association (COWA) has unveiled a landmark environmental and empowerment project tagged the Green Border Initiative, designed to transform Nigeria’s border communities into models of sustainability through tree planting, waste recycling, and women-focused economic programmes.
The initiative was launched during the inaugural COWA Green Border Day in Idiroko, Ogun State, on Monday, with the National President of COWA, Kikelomo Adeniyi, describing it as “a bold step towards cleaner, greener, and more self-sustaining communities along the nation’s borders.”
Adeniyi, who is the wife of the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), said the project embodies COWA’s commitment to environmental stewardship and social empowerment. She announced plans to plant 5,000 trees within one year and train at least 1,000 women in waste recycling and environmental entrepreneurship.
“Today, we are not just cleaning or planting trees, but launching a movement of hope, responsibility, and transformation that connects our people, our borders, and our planet,” she said. “Together, we can transform our borders into models of sustainability—communities where environmental stewardship, social empowerment, and national service unite.”
The COWA president explained that the initiative builds on resolutions from the recent COWA Green Borders and Sustainability Summit held in Abuja, which brought together government representatives, development partners, and private sector leaders to strategise on building resilient border communities.
Adeniyi further revealed that the association is developing a Green Border Centre that will serve as a national hub for climate education, renewable energy innovation, and women’s empowerment through sustainable livelihood training.
In his goodwill message, the Area Comptroller of Ogun 1 Area Command, Godwin Otunla, lauded Mrs Adeniyi for broadening COWA’s impact beyond traditional humanitarian efforts to include sustainability and ecological protection.
“A greener border environment is not just beneficial to our communities but also vital to our mission of ensuring secure and thriving borders,” Otunla said.
He pledged the Customs command’s continuous support for COWA’s environmental and empowerment initiatives.
The COWA Green Border Initiative is a year-long national campaign that seeks to integrate environmental consciousness with community empowerment across Nigeria’s border regions, positioning the association as a key partner in national efforts toward climate resilience and social inclusion.
