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The Customs Officers Wives Association (COWA) has intensified its drive for economic empowerment among Customs families, unveiling a new initiative to equip officers’ wives and widows with vocational skills, business start-up kits, and financial grants to promote self-reliance and household stability.
At a graduation and presentation ceremony held at the Customs Training College, Ikeja, Lagos, more than 36 beneficiaries from the Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone A received tools for small-scale enterprises, including sewing machines, catering and hairdressing equipment, bead-making and make-up kits, gas cookers, and food items. Each widow also received a N100,000 business grant to support their livelihoods.
COWA National President, Mrs. Kikelomo Adeniyi, said the initiative aligns with the association’s mandate to enhance financial independence for Customs officers’ wives and provide sustainable means of livelihood for families of fallen officers.
“This is not just a welfare gesture, it is an investment in women as drivers of growth and stability. When women are empowered, the entire economy benefits,” she said.
Adeniyi, who spoke on the theme “Empowering Women, Strengthening Families,” urged beneficiaries to put the skills and equipment to productive use, adding that the goal was to transform dependents into entrepreneurs capable of supporting their families and contributing to national development.
Also speaking, the Comptroller, FOU Zone A, Mohammed Shuaibu, described the empowerment scheme as a model of social investment that delivers long-term economic impact.
He observed that many women trained under similar programmes have successfully launched businesses that now contribute to household income and local enterprise growth.
“This programme goes beyond charity. It equips women with practical skills to participate actively in the economy. Families of injured or fallen officers are also not forgotten; they continue to receive targeted support to sustain their dignity and livelihoods,” Shuaibu said, reaffirming the Zone’s commitment to expanding the initiative.
Meanwhile, the Acting Chairperson of COWA FOU Zone A, Dr. Juliet Eya, said the association remains focused on supporting women entrepreneurs through continuous training and access to small business grants.
She noted that beneficiaries who already run businesses will receive additional financial support to scale their operations, while widows and retired members will continue to enjoy welfare assistance.
Eya commended Mrs. Adeniyi’s “visionary leadership and tireless commitment” to women’s economic empowerment across Customs formations nationwide, saying COWA’s long-term objective is to create a network of financially empowered women contributing meaningfully to both family welfare and community development.
