COP 30 in Brazil; COWA To Showcase First Nigeria Green Border Day at Seme To Promote Eco-Friendly Communities

By Barth Ikiebe

The Customs Officers’ Wives Association (COWA) has launched the first-ever Green Border Day at Seme Border Town, Lagos State as a flagship event under its COWA Green Borders Sustainability Initiative (CGBSI) aimed at transforming Nigeria’s border communities into eco-friendly, climate-smart zones.

Themed “Our Borders, Our People — Greening Communities for a Sustainable Future,” the colourful flag-off ceremony drew participation from senior officials of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), climate stakeholders, community leaders, and hundreds of women and youth volunteers.

In a keynote address, COWA National President, Mrs. Kikelomo Adeniyi, described the initiative as “a movement of hope, responsibility, and transformation that connects our homes, our borders, and our planet.”

She noted that the Green Border Day builds on the momentum of the COWA Green Borders and Sustainability Summit held recently in Abuja, where the Association unveiled the COWA Sustainability & Innovation Centre — envisioned as a national hub for climate education, women’s empowerment, and green enterprise.

“The Abuja Summit gave birth to this action,” Mrs. Adeniyi said. “What we launched as an idea in the capital has now become visible reality in Seme.”

According to her, the CGBSI will plant over 5,000 trees, train more than 1,000 women and youths in recycling and green enterprise, and establish solar-powered eco-hubs across Nigeria’s border regions within 12 months.

The program, she added, will scale from Seme and Idiroko to Jibia, Illela, Maigatari, Mfum, and Calabar, ensuring Customs communities nationwide embrace cleaner, more sustainable living.

The Seme event featured tree planting, community clean-ups, waste segregation demonstrations, and recycling hub training, with market women and youths pledging to sustain the effort through monthly “Clean Border Days.”

Mrs. Adeniyi lauded the Nigeria Customs Service, National Council on Climate Change (NCCC), and other partners for their collaboration, emphasizing that “sustainability begins at home and grows through partnership and shared vision.”

In a major announcement, the COWA President revealed that the Association will host a special Side Event at the Nigerian Pavilion during COP 30 — the United Nations Climate Change Conference scheduled for 17 November 2025 in Belém, Brazil.

“We are taking the story of the COWA Green Borders Sustainability Initiative to the world,” she declared. “At Nigeria’s borders, women are not only supporting trade — we are protecting the environment and securing the future.”

COWA’s participation at COP 30 is expected to highlight Nigeria’s grassroots-driven climate leadership, showcasing how women at the border frontlines are pioneering green transformation.

The Green Border Day campaign will continue across Nigeria over the next year, culminating in the presentation of a National Green Borders Impact Report and the commissioning of the COWA Sustainability & Innovation Centre at the next COWA Green Borders and Sustainability Summit.