The Director General of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Professor Charles Anosike, warmly received the Chairman of United Nigeria Airlines, Chief Obiora Okonkwo who was on a courtesy visit to welcoming the Newly appointed NiMet boss at it headquarters in Abuja.
Chief Obiora Okonkwo said he was in NiMet to pay courtesy visit and congratulate a blossom.
His words; “I am very delighted and happy that such a person of this calibre is given opportunity to prove himself. I have no doubt that he would bring the necessary leadership that will reposition NiMet”.
Speaking further, Chief Okonkwo who is a user of NiMet services, and one of the private airlines operators in Nigeria, disclosed that as an operator in the aviation industry, he has always looked for a moment where there would be a closer collaboration between the NiMet and the airline operators.
While he underscored the critical role weather plays in humans’ lives, urged NiMet to bring this to the frontline to attract the necessary attention of the public.
“I really think that for us in the aviation sector, we have to find a way the professional information or forecasts that we have about weather is out at our doorstep one week ahead. My plea to you is that this information about weather that you get should not be kept to yourself, it must be made known to the public, as it affects them. Therefore as an operator from the aviation industry, it is high time we looked for a very good collaboration to support NiMet to make sure it’s weather situation is made to the public”, he explained.
Okonkwo noted that often when they had to tell travellers about flight delays or cancellations due to weather, this should not lead to travellers vilifying or assaulting operators as sometimes these delays are not caused by the operators.
He raised concerns about the government always talking on the sides of the travellers and the travelling public, but that operators also have their rights.
He however said with improved infrastructural provisions and investment in some of these airports, no matter how low visibility is you can still land in that airport.
He therefore called on the DG NiMet to liaise with all the sister agencies in aviation to come up with a very compulsory demand that operating airports must meet certain infrastructural requirements for aircrafts to be landing there.
The NiMet boss In his response, thanked Obiora for the visit while assuring him that all he said have been noted and that in the course of the collaboration more insight will be given to him with regard to the assets and infrastructure NiMet has at the airports.
“We will give you more insight so that you know the strength and what we need to strengthen in this industry. So I thank you for this visit and we are looking forward to this collaboration. We will address all these issues and improve the way we work with the airlines because it is a regulated environment. Am sure you know that we have been instrumental in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) audit score we received”, he said.
