COWA, Seme Customs Launches Green Border Initiative, Medical Outreach, Plants Trees For Sustainable Environmental Degradation
By Asuquo Nuwak
COWA, Seme Customs Launches Green Border Initiative, Medical Outreach, Plants Trees For Sustainable Environmental Degradation
The Seme Customs Area Command in collaboration with the Customs Officers’ Wives Association (COWA) has continued to demonstrate commendable performance by launching Green Border Initiative, medical outreach, and planting of trees to address environmental degradation and socio-economic issues in the border communities.
As part of the Customs Care Initiative, COWA provided business tools such as 10 grinding machines, 10 industrial sewing machines, 10 industrial gas burners with cylinders and N50,000.00 to its members, for their businesses and provided free medical outreach services.
Commenting during the launch of the Green Border Initiative and tree planting ceremony held at the Seme Area Command on 11th November, 2025, the COWA National President, Kikelomo Adeniyi, commended Seme Area command for supporting COWA’s Green Border Initiative which featured planting of coconut trees.
She was joined by the CGC representative, ACG Babandede, heads of sister agencies and traditional rulers in planting coconut trees.
The COWA president.Mrs Kikelomo Adeniyi, who said economically and environmentally people at the border have been neglected, also said the goal of COWA is to empower border communities and protect their environments.
Commenting during the event, the Customs Area Controller of Seme, Comptroller Wale Adenuga, said welfare programme is meant to support the CGC mandate in addressing community challenges, especially in the area of healthcare delivery.
Apart from this, he said the Service noticed that medical challenges remain important issue, hence the major reason why the command have decided to provide comprehensive healthcare delivery to communities.
He commended the partnership of Remi Adesanya, a business man who donated the sum of N2 million to be shared among 10 widows of customs wives with N200, 000.00 each.
During the event, waste bins were given to security agencies and traditional rulers in the area
In his comment during the event, the Customs Area Controller of the Command, Comptroller Wale Adenuga said in order to provide security to the Seme customs command’s barracks, the command has commissioned solar street lights.
Besides, he said the officers’ mess which has been remodelled and named after Mrs. Adeniyi is expected to provide relaxation to people.
Additionally, he said the environment was cleared to give room for the extension of the mess which is named “Kikelomo Shakirat Adeniyi Arena” and is entrusted to COWA for relaxation and community engagement.
He said the planting of 30 coconut trees, is as a result of the fact that coconut grows very well in this area, and has become economically beneficial to the people within the communities.
He cast his mind back to when the CGC gave him a mandate to light up the command’s barracks and he is glad to inform the participants that the command have brought this mandate to fulfillment.
He assured that one thousand people will benefit from the medical outreach.
Commenting during the event, Dr. Sadiya Baba, the Head of Gynaecology and Controller at the Customs Hospital disclosed that the outreach covers breast cancer awareness, education and screening.
Still, she said the highpoint of the event featured medical consultations, laboratory tests, HIV tests, hepatitis, blood pressure screening, and issuance of free eyeglasses.
He noted that the Comptroller-General of Customs considers the welfare of men and officers very important, pointing out that they are there initially on first aid training, adding that fiirst aid training is proactive.
She said they have noticed recently that people are slumping and dying in the community, stressing that emergencies are on the increase.
She said people don’t have to be a medical person to be able to give first aid, adding that first aid, when given at the right time, in the right way, will save a lot of people.
Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs, and Zonal Coordinator, Zone ‘A’, Ikeja, Lagos, Mohammed Babandede, who represented the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi commended Comptroller Wale Adenuga for his collaboration with sister security agencies and traditional rulers .
Indeed, he commended Comptroller Adenuga for reducing the number of Customs checkpoints along the Badagry-Seme area.
He stated that insecurity in the nation is as a result of environmental degradation, assuring the traditional rulers that the CGC is passionate about making the community more habitable.
He told COWA National President that tree planting should not stop at the border communities but should be extended to other parts of the nation.
Meanwhile, ACG Babandede appreciated the level of collaboration on Seme-Badagry corridor. He said while on his way to Seme, he noticed that the number of checkpoints along the road has reduced, which is a clear indication of teamwork.
ACG Babandede, who said we have been having challenges of environmental degradation and climate change, also said that it is necessary for members of the public to begin planting trees for sustainable environmental degradation.
Aside from this, he said the issue of insecurity we are facing in this country is as a result of climate change.
He advised that this should not stop at the border communities, but should be extended to all part of the nation for people to know the importance of planting trees, in order to sustain their environment.
ACG Babandede told the royal fathers, especially the host communities, Badagry, that the Nigeria Customs Service under the leadership of Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, has not forgotten them and what they are seeing today is just a beginning.
Additionally, he said this initiative about health care delivery is just a beginning. He therefore thanked them for their cooperation and for partnering with the Service to ensure that this country and the economy is well secured.
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