The Customs Officers’ Wives Association (COWA) has flagged off a nationwide one-hour tree-planting exercise, targeting 1,000 trees across multiple locations in Nigeria.
The initiative, implemented under COWA’s Green Borders sustainability drive, was designed to promote grassroots environmental stewardship while contributing to broader climate action through community-led participation.
A statement on the exercise was made available to newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja by the Spokesperson of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Abdullahi Maiwada.
In the statement, Maiwada said the campaign was conceived as a coordinated national exercise.
He explained that through simultaneous planting activities in several states, the initiative aimed, not only to achieve the one-hour target but sought to inspire collective action against environmental threats.
He listed the threats to include deforestation, climate change and land degradation.
“Structured as both a symbolic and practical intervention, the ‘1,000 Trees in One Hour’ campaign reflects COWA’s growing emphasis on advocacy-driven sustainability programmes that combine awareness, participation and measurable impact.
“The initiative is expected to deepen public understanding of the ecological and social benefits of tree planting while encouraging communities to embrace environmental responsibility as a shared civic duty,” he said.
Maiwada said that beyond the coordinated planting exercise, the campaign was designed to stimulate wider conversations around environmental protection and long-term ecosystem restoration.
He added that the campaign also sought to strengthen partnerships with environmental stakeholders and promote broader citizen participation in sustainability-focused programmes.
On her part, the National President of COWA, Mrs Kikelomo Adeniyi, described the campaign as a call to collective action and a practical demonstration of shared responsibility in addressing environmental challenges.
Adeniyi said to secure a healthier and more sustainable future for communities, environmental stewardship must be recognised as a shared duty.
“This initiative is not simply about planting trees; it is about planting hope, restoring our environment and inspiring a culture of responsibility that can endure for generations,” she said.
She said the campaign aligned with COWA’s broader sustainability vision of linking environmental action with community development and citizen engagement.
“The ‘1,000 Trees in One Hour’ campaign shows what can be achieved when people come together with purpose,” she said.
She added that the trees would contribute to environmental restoration, while the awareness created by the campaign would help nurture environmentally conscious citizens, especially among younger generations.
She explained that the initiative was expected to evolve beyond a one-day event into a sustained movement for ecological advocacy and community participation.
“Our vision is to make environmental consciousness a way of life in our communities.
“Through the Green Borders initiative, we want to encourage partnerships, inspire local ownership and build a nationwide movement where sustainability is driven not only by policy, but by people,” she said.
According to her, the nationwide exercise features simultaneous planting activities across participating locations, with volunteers working within the one-hour timeframe to achieve the target of 1,000 trees.
The COWA president said that the initiative also targets to reinforce collaboration among communities, environmental groups and institutional partners, while expanding support for future sustainability interventions under the COWA Green Borders framework.
Adeniyi said that with the flag-off, COWA would continue to deepen its role in community-based environmental advocacy, while reinforcing the place of citizens, especially women and young people, as critical actors in safeguarding Nigeria’s environmental future.
