COWA Joins Nationwide Tree Planting Campaign at Owerri 

BY FUNMI ALUKO

The Customs Officers Wives Association (COWA) of the Federal Operations Unit Zone C Owerri has joined the nationwide Green Border Initiative tree planting campaign, tagged Plant 1000 Trees in 1 Hour.

The initiative by the National President of COWA, Mrs. Kikelomo Adeniyi was aimed to educate and enlighten the public, especially students on the dangers of global warming and environmental degradation. The awareness campaign took centre stage on Thursday, April 30, 2026, at Community Secondary School Orogwe in Owerri West LGA, Imo State.

The COWA Chairperson FOU Zone ‘C’ Chapter, Dr. Mrs. Bolanle Balogun in her address advocated the urgent need for environmental sustainability action and encouraged everyone to join the initiative.

“As we know, global warming raises Earth’s average surface temperature over time primarily due to human activities. It amplifies the natural greenhouse effect, where certain atmospheric gases trap heat from the sun to keep the planet habitable”, she said.

She charged the staff of the school led by the principal to be Green Borders Initiative Ambassadors for the sustainability drive. “Without environmental sustainability, natural systems can collapse, leading to resource shortages, extreme weather, and biodiversity loss”.

The event featured a practical tree-planting exercise led by the COWA chairperson, the school principal, the Green Ambassadors, and officers’ wives. Dr. Mrs. Balogun urged students to replicate the exercise in their communities and promised that COWA would renovate the school’s physics, biology, and chemistry laboratories.

The School Principal, Mrs. Nwanu Clothilda Anayochi expressed heartfelt gratitude to God and COWA on the choice of their school to carry out this enlightenment campaign. She pledged full support for the initiative and committed the entire school to spreading the message to communities and surroundings.