The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, has thrown his weight behind the nationwide expansion of climate advocacy within the Nigeria Customs Service, calling for the replication of the Customs Officers’ Wives Association (COWA) Green Border Initiative across commands and communities nationwide.
Speaking through the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs (DCG) Timi Bomodi at the “Walk for a Greener Nigeria” campaign in Abuja, the Customs boss described the initiative as a timely intervention that aligns with growing national efforts to promote environmental sustainability, public health, and ecological preservation.
DCG Bomodi said the project, which has already led to the planting of over 8,622 trees in selected border communities, should not remain restricted to border formations alone.
“This is a remarkable green initiative by COWA and deserves commendation. Though it started at the borders, it should not end there. We want to see it replicated across the nation because a greener environment promotes healthier living,’’ DCG Bomodi said.
Drawing from the fact that COWA recently planted over 1,000 trees in 1 hour, he stressed that tree planting remains one of the most practical responses to the growing impacts of climate change, noting that healthier communities begin with deliberate environmental action: “The more trees and green leaves we have around us, the fresher the air we breathe.”
DCG Bomodi further noted that creating sustainable green ecosystems around Customs formations and host communities would have lasting benefits for environmental health and national wellbeing.
Earlier, the National President of the Customs Officers’ Wives Association and the wife of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Mrs Kikelomo Adeniyi, said the Green Border Initiative was conceived as a practical response to the growing impact of climate change on communities across Nigeria.
She disclosed that the association had already extended the project to strategic border communities, including Idiroko, Seme, and Ufom, with plans underway to expand to more locations across the federation.
“Climate change affects everyone, whether in border communities or urban centres. Pollution and poor air quality are issues that concern all of us,” she added.
Mrs Adeniyi explained that, beyond environmental restoration, the association was deliberately planting economic and food-bearing trees to create long-term value for future generations.
“The food we consume today exists because someone planted trees years ago. We are planting not only for today but for generations yet unborn,” Mrs Adeniyi noted.
Also speaking, the first-ever United Nations Global Advocate, Mariam Hassan, commended the initiative, describing it as a bold grassroots response to one of the most urgent global challenges.
Mariam said, “When we talk about climate change, we must understand that it directly affects our people and communities. COWA taking the lead in supporting a greener Nigeria is highly commendable.”
She called for stronger collaboration between public institutions, development partners, and environmental stakeholders to help scale the initiative across Nigeria.
The exercise attracted wide participation from presidents of various officers’ wives associations, representatives of government ministries and parastatals, sister security agencies, environmental advocates, and notable personalities from Nigeria’s entertainment and public service circles.
