A Widow of a slain customs officer, Mrs. Jemima Emmanuel Agom says, since the death of her husband, two years and four months ago, the Nigeria Customs Service has been taking care of her.
Disclosing this on the heels of a presentation of a brand new TECNO POP 8 264 GB Android phone, worth over N100, 000 naira to her as part of the empowerment programme of the Chairperson, Customs Officers Wives Association( COWA,) Onne customs Area 11, Command chapter, Haj Amina A. Babandede on Monday, September 9, at Customs Barracks Ebubu Eleme Local government Area of Rivers state, Jemima, a mother of three children, from Benue state and fries Akara at the Customs Barracks said it has not been easy since she lost her husband in the line of duty two and four months ago, but thanked COWA and Customs management for their magnanimity towards her even as she prayed God to bless Haj. Babandede for remembering her through the presentation of a phone.
Speaking in pidgin, she said “Since my husband die two years and four months now, no communicating, am happy today, because I no expecting it, it come as surprise but the phone don wipe my tears”
On what the phone would do for her, she said ” e go do plenty things, for my business since my husband die, no communicating but now I go reach everybody for my business and my family”
On how she has been managing, since the death of her husband, she said ” you know say Customs de always take care of their wives, since the beginning till now, wey my husband die, Customs de take care of me.”
She however, prayed that God the husband of the widow should bless COWA, Haj. Babandede and her management team at Onne for wiping her tears.
On her part , COWA liaison Officer, Superintendent of Customs (SC) Leticia Ikegwuonu who represented the Onne COWA Chairperson Haj. Amina A Babandede stated that the essence of what customs has done today is “to help her flow with the trend of the 21st century globalized society”
Continuing, she added with this, she can communicate online with her children, that are in higher education, her family members and the society at large, insisting that the phone can help her extend her business to a wider world.
Haj. Babandede who noted that COWA Onne Customs command was following the footsteps of the COWA National President, Mrs. Kikelomo Adeniyi said the National President has been going from one customs command to the other, empowering members including widows by buying foods and supplying to them, training them in cosmetics and fashion designing among others insisted that whatever that is done at the national level is replicated at the Onne Chapter of COWA.
She was assured of other programmes coming up before the end of the year.
“Other empowerment programmes are in the offing. You see how our national president is going about empowering our members. She is a wonderful woman.
At Apapa, Tin Can, even in Enugu COWA members including widows benefited from our national president’s largesse”
“We are not only going to train our members in Fashion Designing and other skills but going to give them starter packs after the completion of the programmes to enable them start immediately” she maintained.
She used the opportunity to invite other customs officers’ wives yet to identify with COWA to do that saying “seeing is believing, at COWA we don’t engage in gossip or backbiting, we believe in empowering our members.
Customs Officers should allow their wives to identify with COWA, the benefits are enormous. They stand a chance to learn a lot of skills that will help them and their families.”
The high point of the event was the presentation of the Android phone to Mrs Jemima by the COWA Barracks Secretary Mrs. Habibat Ogbeba and the provost Mrs. Philomena Isibor on behalf of the COWA Chairperson Onne Customs Area 11, Command, Haj. Amina A. Babandede.
By Bon Peters,
Port Harcourt, Rivers State
