Customs Officers’ Wives Association Equips 100 Women With Transformative Skills

Customs Officers’ Wives Association Equips 100 Women With Transformative Skills

The Customs Officers’ Wives Association (COWA) marked a historic milestone on Thursday, 22 May 2025, as it held the first graduation ceremony of the COWA Skills Acquisition Centre in Karu, Abuja.

The event commenced with the arrival of distinguished guests, followed by a procession of graduates. The atmosphere was rich with excitement and pride as the first set of 100 women, wives of gallant Customs officers, were honoured for completing intensive training in various vocational skills including ICT, tailoring, hairdressing, adire making, bag making, catering, makeup, bedding and fascinators.

In her opening address, Mrs Jane Itotoh welcomed guests and highlighted the programme’s significance in empowering women and fostering self-reliance. Each class of graduates delivered heartfelt speeches reflecting their journeys through the programme, and a grand exhibition showcased their impressive handiwork.

Delivering her address, the President of COWA, Mrs. Kikelomo Adeniyi, expressed her joy and pride in the graduates. “Today marks the fulfilment of a noble vision and the beginning of new possibilities. These 100 courageous women have emerged from this programme not only empowered with skills but equipped with purpose,” she said.

She reiterated the Association’s commitment to economic empowerment, stating that all graduates would receive complete starter kits to launch their businesses:

“As they graduate today, each of our 100 trainees will receive a complete starter kit tools of the trade that will allow them to immediately apply their new skills, establish small-scale businesses, and chart a path to self-reliance.”

The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, praised COWA’s initiative, emphasising the Service’s full support. He assured that the skills of the graduates would not go unrecognised. “I make a firm promise today that the Nigeria Customs Service will patronise the products and services of these women. We will also provide a generator for the centre to ensure uninterrupted training,” he said.

He described the event as a celebration of completion and transformation and urged the graduates to leverage their new skills for personal and national development.

Adding to the chorus of goodwill, the President of the Defence and Police Officers’ Wives Association (DEPOWA), Mrs. Ogogo Musa, delivered a warm and encouraging message. She commended the COWA President for her vision and hard work and described the initiative as empowering. She congratulated the graduates on their accomplishments and urged them to make the most of the skills they had acquired, emphasising that their journey toward independence and self-sufficiency had only just begun.

Several notable women-led organisations were present and delivered goodwill messages, including the Naval Officers’ Wives Association (NOWA), Police Officers’ Wives Association (POWA), Nigerian Army Officers’ Wives Association (NAOWA), Defence and Police Officers’ Wives Association (DEPOWA), the National Centre for Women Development (NCWD), the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), and many other women-focused agencies. Their presence underscored a strong solidarity network, with many pledging support for future collaborations to deepen women’s empowerment initiatives.

Certificates of excellence were presented to the best-performing students in each skill category, further celebrating their dedication and progress.

The event signalled the pilot batch’s success and reinforced COWA’s mission to uplift women, promote entrepreneurship, and build sustainable livelihoods for families within the Customs community.

As the ceremony drew to a close, guests toured the exhibition stands, witnessing firsthand the quality and creativity of the graduates’ output, a testament to the impact of structured, inclusive skill-building initiatives.