Customs Officers’ Wives Association (COWA) has unveiled the National Green Border Initiative to transform border communities into sustainable, eco-friendly hubs that empower women and youths.
Speaking during the flag-off of the First COWA Green Border Day on Monday in Idiroko, Ogun, its National President, Mrs Kikelomo Adeniyi, said this would be through tree planting and waste recycling.
Adeniyi said that the initiative marked a major step toward tackling environmental challenges.
“This is not just about planting trees or cleaning our environment.
- “It is about launching a movement of hope, responsibility, and transformation that connects our people, our borders, and our planet,” Adeniyi further said.
She explained that the programme aims to plant over 5,000 trees within one year across border areas.
Adeniyi stressed that this would serve as a model for environmental stewardship and social development.
According to her, the project builds on the recently held COWA Green Borders and Sustainability Summit in Abuja.
The president said that the summit brought together leaders from government, development agencies, and the private sector to promote greener, cleaner, and more resilient border communities.
Adeniyi added that COWA plans to establish a national sustainability centre that would serve as a hub for climate education, innovation and research.
She mentioned that the hub would also be used in training thousands of women and youths in renewable energy, waste recycling and environmental entrepreneurship.
“Our vision is to build communities where women are empowered, the environment is protected and innovation drives growth.
“Together, we can make Nigeria’s borders models of sustainability and service,” she noted.
In his remarks, Area Comptroller, Ogun I Command, Mr Godwin Otunla, commended Adeniyi’s leadership and COWA’s shift from purely humanitarian programmes to broader sustainability and ecological initiatives.
“A greener border environment is not just beneficial to our communities but also essential to maintaining safe and prosperous borders,” Otunla said.
She pledged the command’s full support for COWA’s initiatives.
The Green Border Initiative, COWA’s flagship programme for 2025, is a 12-month national campaign aimed at cleaning, greening, and empowering the border communities through sustainable and inclusive development.
