A delegation from the Customs Officers’ Wives Association (COWA), led by Mrs. Kikelomo Adeniyi, paid a courtesy call to Ag. Comptroller-General of Customs Bashir Adewale Adeniyi.
Through a variety of outreach activities, COWA, a non-profit organization of Customs’ Wives, focuses on strengthening less fortunate people all throughout the federation, including the spouses and families of Customs Officers, wives of deceased Customs Officers, and others.
The Ag. CGC welcomed the delegation to the Nigeria Customs Headquarters in Abuja and expressed appreciation for their visit.
He said, “Let me start by saying that we recognized what COWA stands for and as our wives, first and foremost, we know that you all represent love.”
The Customs Boss stated that “the Management Team of the Nigeria Customs Service highly recognizes COWA as a veritable partner for development” after praising the COWA Management Board for providing humanitarian aid to orphanages and disadvantaged individuals.
He emphasized that the Service already had it on their plate, the plan to establish Primary and Secondary Schools across the federation, to revamp the educational system of their wards and communities, and gave the association’s leadership assurances of the Service’s unwavering support to address their demands within the parameters of the law.
“I know that Abuja is very strategic, and there are over three thousand Customs Officers working in various Headquarters formations who have families here, and these officers need to educate their children without spending exorbitant fees; thus, we take this matter as a priority,” he said.
However, CGC Bashir Adeniyi informed the group that whenever the project was launched, the Service will work with them. He continued, “What we will do is to acquire land within Abuja, and the project is hopefully going to be co-opted in our 2024 budget.”
The Chairperson of the Customs Officers Wives Association, Mrs. Kikelomo Adeniyi, had earlier made a statement in which she said that they had come to the Customs Headquarters to congratulate the Ag. CGC on his appointment by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and to ask for help in starting some humanitarian initiatives.
She claimed that given the state of the economy, the association’s leadership felt it imperative to get involved in providing aid, and she added that COWA had been essentially dormant in recent years.
The association is currently focused on organizing training for its members on family health well-being, skill acquisition and empowerment, launching a campaign against drug abuse, and promoting basic education, the chairperson said after outlining some important demands of the organization to the CGC.
