The chairman, Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN), Princess Vicky Haastrup has been appointed as the Patroness of the Customs Officers’ Wives Association (COWA).
Haastrup’s investiture, along with the investiture of three others appointed as Patrons of the association, was held on Thursday 15th February 2024 in Abuja during the relaunch of COWA.
COWA president, Kikelomo Adeniyi, said Princess Haastrup was honoured with the position of Patroness of the association in view of her outstanding contributions to the Nigerian economy especially through the maritime sector and her support for the cause of women.
Speaking during her investiture, Princess Haastrup, who is also the executive vice chairman/CEO of ENL Consortium, thanked COWA for the honour of appointing her as the Patroness of the non-governmental organisation.
She commended the COWA president for relaunching and breathing new life into the association.
She also commended the comptroller general of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi for supporting the resuscitation of COWA after an eight-year hiatus.
She said, “The theme of this event — COWA 2.0: Shared Values, Integrated Community is apt. The theme denotes a rebirth and the institutionalisation of a more advanced version of the original concept of COWA. It means you plan to do something different and impactful. This is good and must be encouraged.
“I thank the comptroller general of Customs, Wale Adeniyi, for supporting the cause of women. Thank you for giving your wife the platform to contribute to national development. Your predecessor, as you know, decided to keep COWA in the cooler, but I am happy that you are towing a different path.
“I am a strong advocate of women education and empowerment, so the objectives of COWA resonate strongly with me. You have heard it said again and again that when you train a woman, you train a nation. This is a time-tested truth because when a woman is educated, she becomes empowered to change not only her own life, but also the lives of those around her: her children, her family, her friends and her community. Give a woman quality education and watch how she’ll quickly influence the broader society.”
The STOAN chairman said women play unique and invaluable roles as mothers who guide and nurture children, hence the need to support their economic empowerment.
“When women are economically strong, families are strong, and when families are strong, society is better for it. So I encourage COWA to keep pushing. As your Patroness, I assure you of my support and commitment,” she said.
The event was attended by a representative of First Lady Remi Tinubu; the comptroller general of Customs Adewale Adeniyi along with senior Customs officers; Chairman of Sifax Group Dr Taiwo Afolabi and the CEO of Atlas Oranto Petroleum, Prince Arthur Eze, among many other dignitaries.
