Laide Raheem, Abeokuta

The wife of the Controller General of the Nigeria Customs Service and National President of Customs Officers Wives Association (COWA) Mrs Kikelomo Adeniyi, has disclosed the readiness of the Association to evolve economic support stimuli to boost support and assistance to wives of operatives and officers of the NCS who died in active service.

Mrs Adeniyi, who equally disclosed that COWA will provide educational support packages to offer scholarships to children of the fallen officers as well as those who are still in active service, stated this when she led COWA delegation on a courtesy visit to the Ogun Area 1 Command of NCS at Idiroko Border in Ipokia Local Government Area of the state, at the weekend.

She explained that the economic stimuli would include training the widows of the fallen officers on business and empowerment programmes and skills acquisition in their chosen vocations.

Mrs Adeniyi further assured that COWA would not neglect families left behind by late officers, rather, it would continue to espouse programmes capable of bringing succour to them all over the country.

This, according to her, is to enable the surviving spouses cater for their respective families’ needs, particularly those ones that are recently bereaved without constituting nuisances to anyone in the society.

She, however, disclosed that the association would join forces with the federal government’s efforts in the crusades towards eliminating the scourge of hard drugs intake among the Nigerian youths.

“As a non profit charitable organization dedicated to supporting the spouses and families of customs officers, COWA works to promote activities that will support the Federal Government’s poverty eradication programme, as well as reduce infant and maternal mortality; promote and support the welfare of the wives of Customs officers.

“Our focus in this regard is to provide educational support and scholarships to the children through the payment of school fees, and vocational empowerment of the bereaved wives to make them self-reliant. We will also extend love, care and support to orphans and orphanages.

“Our campaign against drug abuse was conceived out of a compelling need to support the government in eliminating the scourge of hard drugs in the country. Drug abuse is a complex disease that affects millions of people worldwide.

“COWA will support the government’s effort in curtailing the scourge by organizing strategic enlightenment campaigns and seminars as may be deemed appropriate. We will also support the rehabilitation and recovery of victims”, she stated.

Mrs. Adeniyi later presented souvenirs and food items to 11 NCS widows, noting that the gesture was to demonstrate her association’s commitment to its avowed pledges, stressing that COWA will at no time, abandon the bereaved families.