BY OLAPEJU OLUBI
The Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Professor Charles Anosike, has emphasised that great leaders not only bring the weather but also shape the climate within their teams by serving as role models.
He stated this at the African Leadership Persons of the Year 2025 event in Casablanca, Morocco, on Friday, March 21, 2025, where he stressed the role of leadership in fostering a positive and sustainable work environment.
He said: “Leaders who understand this principle demonstrate a higher level of self-awareness.
“They recognise that the team’s climate is unlike the weather – the weather changes tomorrow, but the climate is experienced every day. Great leaders lead by doing!”
Acknowledging the collective effort behind his achievements, Professor Anosike expressed deep appreciation for the support of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, as well as his dedicated team at NiMet.
He also extended gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for entrusting him with the responsibility of transforming NiMet into a global standard-bearer for meteorology and climate intelligence.
“I am privileged to lead the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, an institution with over 130 years of history, dating back to 1887 in Akassa, present-day Bayelsa State.
“NiMet plays a crucial role in advancing sustainable agricultural productivity by providing early warnings to farmers and equipping them with climate-smart practices for better planning and decision-making,” he said.
Professor Anosike highlighted that climate change serves as a “threat multiplier,” exacerbating socio-economic vulnerabilities, particularly in communities already burdened by poverty, limited access to resources, and inadequate infrastructure.
In response, NiMet provides multi-hazard monitoring, climate risk intelligence, and decision support to mitigate disasters and strengthen resilience. According to the NiMet DG, collaboration and strategic partnerships remain at the heart of the agency’s success.
“Our impact is driven by managing relationships, leveraging our extensive network of weather stations across the country, and engaging stakeholders to deliver impact-based forecasts and early warnings,” he stated.
Professor Anosike revealed that NiMet is actively working with funding partners and the private sector to bridge the gap in government funding, ensuring upgraded weather observation networks and enhanced early warning systems for national and community-based climate preparedness.
“A climate-proof economic growth strategy is essential for a resilient future. Communities must become weather-ready, embrace climate-smart practices, and build adaptive capacities for sustainability,” he remarked.
“Our success is a testament to teamwork, enduring stakeholder engagement, and the belief that leadership is not an individual property, but an emergent property of the system.”
As a distinguished recipient of the African Leadership Persons of the Year 2025 awards, Professor Anosike will be honoured with the prestigious African Public Sector Leadership Impact Award at a ceremony on Saturday, February 22, 2025.
The award recognises his outstanding contributions to climate intelligence, disaster risk management and leadership excellence in Nigeria’s public sector.
