BY OLAPEJU OLUBI
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) have entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to enhance collaboration on providing climate-smart information and standard meteorological services across various sectors, including agriculture, telecommunications, marine, oil and gas, mining, aviation, disaster management, and more. The initiative aims to support the 36 states of Nigeria in implementing climate-responsive strategies.
The MoU was signed in Abuja on Wednesday, December 18, 2024.
During the ceremony, the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NiMet, Professor Charles Anosike, expressed gratitude to the governors, the NGF Chairman, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State, and the NGF team for the opportunity to strengthen the partnership.
“This is a piece of the puzzle that we’ve been trying to solve. For us to be able to scale up access to weather information, not just for farmers but also for managing our state airports. Without NiMet information, we cannot fly. So this relationship is very critical for us,” said Anosike.
He also informed the NGF team that the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo SAN, had approved the date for the public presentation of NiMet’s 2025 Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP), scheduled for Tuesday, February 4, 2025.
Professor Anosike emphasized the importance of the collaboration, stating that NiMet’s downscaling efforts would require support from state governments to be successful.
“Signing this MoU is a milestone for us, and we thank the NGF team for this opportunity,” Prof. Anosike concluded.
In response, the Director-General of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Alhaji Abdulateef O.T. Shittu, acknowledged the longstanding relationship between NiMet and the NGF, which spans over a decade.
“NiMet is doing a good job. We still have in our libraries NiMet’s forecasts dating back to 10 years ago. We are delighted with the signing of this MoU because of what we will be able to do jointly for Nigeria and our communities in the states.
The MoU will allow NiMet and NGF to collaborate in providing meteorological and climatological data to aid the development of climate change indices and their impact across the 36 states,” said Alhaji Shittu.
The NiMET boss said the collaboration marks an important step in harnessing meteorological and climatological data to support climate resilience and development across the country.
