SEME CUSTOMS: COWA NCS LAUNCHES GREEN BORDER, CUSTOMS CARE INITIATIVE
BISI AKINGBADE
Customs Officers’ Wives Association, COWA, and the Nigeria Service, NCS, have launched a Green Border Initiative for both an environmental regeneration and economic empowerment scheme targeted at women and youth in border communities and Customs Care Initiative to promote environmental sustainability and expand community healthcare services.
The Green Border and customs care initiative was launched at the Seme Krake Border command.
The initiatives were inaugurated by COWA National President, Mrs. Kikelomo Adeniyi, alongside the Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs (Zone A), Mohammed Babandede, signaling the Service’s growing emphasis on people-centered border management that prioritizes welfare, health, and green economic growth.
Mrs. Adeniyi said "This initiative is not just about planting trees, it's about planting opportunities. We are turning waste into wealth and giving our people the skills to thrive in a greener economy."
The launched Customs Care Initiative provided free medical consultations, laboratory tests, eye care services, and health screenings for more than 1,000 beneficiaries, including examinations for breast cancer, hepatitis, and hypertension.
The Seme Area Controller, Comptroller Wale Adenuga, said "Every life improved today strengthens the bond between Customs and our host communities,”
ACG Babandede commended the twin programmes as symbols of a “new era” in the NCS—one that values both border security and human security. He encouraged other commands to replicate the model across the country.
The highlight of the event also was the planting of coconut trees, empowerment of widows and women with financial support tools, and the commissioning of solar-powered streetlights and a remodeled Officers’ Mess.
