The Customs Officers’ Wives Association (COWA) has planted 14,882 trees, mobilised more than 682 Green Ambassadors and trained 1,138 beneficiaries in skills acquisition programmes in the first year of its Green Borders and Sustainability Initiative.
The initiative also recorded 6,093 community education and social outreach engagements, alongside 4,041 health and wellness interventions, as the association combined environmental advocacy with education, healthcare and livelihood support.
Kikelomo Adeniyi, National President of COWA, in a statement, said the achievements reflected the impact of collective action and sustained advocacy in promoting environmental sustainability and community development.
“The first anniversary of the Green Borders and Sustainability Initiative is a significant milestone in our commitment to environmental sustainability and community development.
“The 14,882 trees planted and over 682 Green Ambassadors mobilised within one year demonstrate what can be achieved through collective action, sustained advocacy and a shared responsibility for protecting our environment,” Adeniyi said.
As part of the initiative, COWA organised a nationwide campaign on April 30, 2026, to plant 1,000 trees in one hour, alongside its Walk for a Greener Nigeria climate advocacy campaign in Abuja and Green Border Day activities across its regions.
According to the statement, the association also expanded its environmental education programme through its Adopt-a-School campaign at COWA School in Idiroko, Ogun State, which it designated as its first Green Borders Eco-School and Eco-Club.
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It planted 100 fruit trees at Government Secondary School, Jabi, Abuja, and adopted 250 students at COWA School, Idiroko. Eco-Clubs were also established at Apapa and Tin Can Island Commands, while environmental sensitisation activities were held at Kirikiri Lighter Terminal.
Other activities included school adoption initiatives at airports, the Clean Barracks Campaign and Green Barracks exercises in the Federal Capital Territory, as well as clean-up exercises at Customs barracks. The association also held a World Environment Day workshop for children.
Beyond environmental sustainability, COWA said it implemented programmes focused on education, healthcare, women’s empowerment and family welfare.
Its education and child development activities included an essay-writing competition, the Back-to-School Groove and World Drug Day awareness campaigns at Coronation Preparatory Academy in the FCT and other Customs Commands.
The association also marked International Family Day by supporting families of fallen officers.
In healthcare, COWA donated 250 blood pressure monitors to women in Nasarawa State to commemorate World Hypertension Day. It also organised dance aerobics and basic response training as part of its wellness activities.
“At COWA, we believe that environmental sustainability must go hand in hand with human development. Our interventions in education, healthcare, skills acquisition and women’s empowerment are designed to strengthen families, improve livelihoods and equip individuals with the capacity to contribute meaningfully to their communities,” Adeniyi said.
The association also graduated the third cohort of trainees from its Skills Acquisition Centre and organised an Ideas to Income workshop in Gwagwalada, Abuja, aimed at supporting participants to develop income-generating skills.
It commissioned COWA Shopping Centre at Mobay and Abdulwahab Customs Quarters, while Baroness Verma of the United Kingdom’s House of Lords visited the association’s secretariat.
The activities form part of COWA’s broader effort to link environmental protection with community development and economic empowerment.
Adeniyi urged individuals, schools, communities and institutions to adopt sustainable practices and participate in environmental protection initiatives.
“Building a greener Nigeria requires the commitment of everyone. We encourage individuals, schools, communities and institutions to embrace sustainable practices, plant and protect trees, and actively participate in initiatives that promote a cleaner, healthier and more resilient society,” she said.
The association’s first-year figures place tree planting alongside community outreach, health interventions and skills development as key components of its sustainability programme. Sustaining the impact will depend on continued community participation, including the care and survival of planted trees and the long-term benefits of its education and livelihood interventions.
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