NiMet’s University Network Programme promotes weather, climate warnings to farmers – DG

By Favour Nnabugwu
 

The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, NiMet, Professor Charles Anosike has said that the university network programme of the agency is aimed at promoting early weather and climate warnings to farmers around the university’s vicinity in order to boost agricultural yield.

Professor Anosike while speaking at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), between NiMet and Greenfield University, Kaduna State, on Monday, 5th March 2024, charged the relevant parties to the MoU to endeavour to fulfill all obligations contained in the MoU.

“NiMet is exploring more avenues to reach Nigerian farmers. This will guarantee that all citizens are protected by early weather and climate warnings against the vagaries associated with climate and weather disasters”, Professor Anosike said.

“NiMet is fully committed to assisting farmers with weather information to ensure food security. This is a key component of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government”, Professor Anosike concluded.

The MoU covers data sharing between NiMet and Greenfield University, staff development, and establishment of an automatic weather observatory within the University. The weather observatory will form part of NiMet’s network of weather stations transmitting data to the Agency’s general server, which would be analyzed for the overall benefit of Nigerians and critical sectors.

The Vice Chancellor of Greenfield University, Professor John Aiyedogbon, accompanied by the immediate past Vice Chancellor now a consultant, Professor John Gambo Laah, and the Registrar, Muhammad Bashir, applauded Professor Anosike and NiMet’s management for the successful presentation of the 2024 Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP).

Professor Aiyedogbon said that the information contained in the SCP document will help to ensure that all sectors, especially the Agriculture sector, are better prepared for any weather-induced disaster. He added that Greenfield university is looking forward to a robust relationship with NiMet where the students, university community and the entire Kaduna State would benefit.

“We will also leverage on the university’s network of collaborations and influence to support the development of meteorology within the university’s area of influence”, Professor Aiyedogbon concluded.

The MoU signing was witnessed by the Director, Legal Services of NiMet, Barr. Shola Gabriel and other staff of the Agency. The VC of Greenfield University, Professor John Aiyedogbon signed the MoU on behalf Greenfield University while Professor Charles Anosike signed on behalf of NiMet.

NiMet, Varysian Ltd sign MoU to boost service delivery

By Favour Nnabugwu

 

 

Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Varysian Limited, a United Kingdom-based weather and climate services consultancy, to partner in key areas that will lead to improved service delivery by the agency.

Speaking at the MoU signing, the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of NiMet, Professor Charles Anosike said that the MoU signing and eventual actualization will further strengthen the agency’s commitment to providing world-class weather and climate information services to Nigerians and the various industry sectors that it serves.

“We are happy to be partnering Varysian Limited. Their expertise is in enhancing partnership and collaboration between National Meteorological & Hydrological Services (NMHS) and other industry stakeholders, through world-class events, data and research”, Professor Anosike said.

“The MoU covers a lot of areas but most importantly, we will prioritize operationalizing capacity development of our staff in marine meteorology, instituting a mentorship programme for our staff with global weather and climate services organizations and improving our capacity in parametric weather insurance”, Professor Anosike concluded.

The MoU signing was witnessed by the Executive Director of Legal Services of NiMet, Barr. Shola Gabriel and other staff of the agency. The Chief Executive Officer of Varysian Limited, Tom Copping signed the MoU on behalf of Varysian, while Professor Charles Anosike signed on behalf of NiMet.

NiMet, Sahel Consulting sign MOU to promote resilient agricultural system in Nigeria

By Favour Nnabugwu

 

 

Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Sahel Consulting to build sustainable climate monitoring and address early warnings system bottlenecks for resilient agricultural systems in Nigeria.

During the signing of the MoU yesterday, the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of NiMet, Professor Charles Anosike stressed the importance of early warnings as a measure to protect citizens.

“The importance of Early Warnings System cannot be over emphasized and we are willing to partner with any organization that is capable of investing in preparedness. This will help protect our population who should and must be protected by early warnings of climate disaster”, he said.

The Climate Early Warnings project is to be executed by Sahel Consulting Agriculture and Nutrition Limited, in collaboration with a consortium of implementing partners including The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and NiMet.

The project will include the provision of six Meteorological Automatic weather Observation Systems (AWOS) in Nigeria and setting up of a Mapping Room. It will also include capacity development for staff of NiMet and other government ministries, departments and agencies in Nigeria.

The implementation team includes members from International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), the International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI) of Columbia University, New York, USA among others.

Yemi Adegoroye signed the MoU on behalf of Sahel Consulting and the consortium, while Professor Charles Anosike signed on behalf of NiMet.

Abuja, Kogi Nasarawa, others to experience onset of rain

By Favour Nnabugwu
The annual Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP) of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted that North Central area including Abuja, Kogi, Plateau, Kwara, Benue, Niger, Nasarawa will suffer onset of rain for the 2024.
While the SCP also forecasted that Ekiti, Oyo, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Anambra, Enugu, and Ebonyi states will have their rainy season onset in May, 2024.
The report was unveiled on Tuesday by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Barr. Festus Keyamo, SAN.
The report also predicted an early end of the rainy season in “parts of Yobe, Jigawa, Sokoto, Kebbi, Kano, Kaduna, Plateau, Nasarawa Taraba, Gombe, Bauchi, Cross River, Ebonyi, Ogun, and Lagos states.” The rainy season is predicted to end in October 2024.
According to the report, a normal onset is likely to occur over states like Borno, Abia, and Akwa Ibom states. They are predicted to have an early onset when compared to their long-term averages.
However, a late cessation is predicted over the southern states of Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Ondo, Ekiti, and parts of Edo, Delta, Ogun, Oyo, Kogi, Kwara, FCT, Niger, and Kaduna.
NiMet also predicted that the annual rainfall amount is predicted to be below normal over parts of Yobe, Jigawa, Bauchi, Kano, Kebbi, Gombe, Plateau, Taraba, Nasarawa, Benue, Enugu, Ebonyi, Cross River, Delta and Bayelsa states when compared to their long term normal. However, other parts of the country are likely to observe normal to above-normal annual rainfall amounts.
Most parts of the country are expected to experience a shorter length of season, however, Bayelsa, Rivers, and Akwa-Ibom are likely to experience a longer length of season when compared with their mean. Normal to shorter length of season will likely occur in other parts of the country.
The Minister, Mr. Keyamo encourages “all stakeholders to evaluate the predictions thoroughly and strategically, to build adaptive capacity and resilience against climate variability within your respective sectors.”
“It is my desire that the content of the document enables policymakers to plan activities, allocate resources effectively, and protect our citizens from the adverse impacts of weather” he said.
“As we gather here today, we know the important role of accurate and timely climate predictions in shaping our preparedness and responses to ever-changing weather events. The information we are about to unveil today represents a roadmap for our communities, businesses, and policymakers to navigate the upcoming 2024 seasons’ he further stated
NiMet, NIM to sign MoU on training

CAPTION:
L-Professor Charles Anosike, Director General and Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and Dr. Mrs Christiana Atako, President and Chairman of council, Nigerian Institute of Management in Abuja today
By Favour Nnabugwu
The Director General and Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Professor Charles Anosike, on Monday, hosted the President and Chairman of council of the Nigerian Institute of Management, Dr. Mrs Christiana Atako, and council members of the institute at NiMet office in Abuja.
One of the key point of discussion included the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU on training between the two agencies.
Speaking during the visit, Dr. Mrs Christiana Atako said; “On behalf of the council of Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM), I congratulate you, the Director General/Chief Executive Officer (NiMet), on your appointment last December by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, to lead this important agency of government.
Your appointment is as befitting as it is deserving and your well known pedigree of performance in your previous assignments has prepared you adequately for the challenges ahead.
 The Institute which you belong to as a Fellow is proud of you and believes that you will make a success of this new assignment. The signs of what you are bringing to the table to move the Agency forward are already showing with the great managerial and leadership direction you have provided so far”.
Atako further informed the DG/CEO of NiMet, Prof. Charles Anosike of the services NIM offers which will be beneficial to the Agency. These include but are not limited to executive training and intensive training for the membership admission programme.
Concluding, the NIM President and Council Chairman requested that the management of NiMet consider paying outstanding membership dues of staff members as a way of motivating the affected staff.
She also requested that NiMet considers sponsoring staff to attend the 2024 Annual National Management Conference (ANMC) of the institute holding in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, from 22nd to 24th September.
Responding, the DG/CEO of NiMet, Prof Charles Anosike thanked the NIM council for honouring him with the visit.
“Management is the organizing principle of any institution. NiMet’s workforce are focused on delivering on the mandate given to us by our Honourable Minister, Festus Keyamo, SAN, drawn from the Aviation Sector Roadmap for Nigeria. Part of that mandate is staff development.
The science of meteorology requires proper management and coordination. As you are aware, NiMet is a scientific organization and we have several smart people and Professors working in the Agency. We welcome the idea to collaborate with the Nigerian Institute of Management”.
Continuing, Prof. Anosike said; “We need to define the terms of the collaboration with NIM by signing an MoU which will outline the responsibilities and expectations from both NiMet and NIM. We are aware that NIM has over 200,000 members so this is good and presents an opportunity for shared experiences.
 We will use the joint platforms of NiMet and NIM to promote the science of meteorology and management, and expose these professions to young persons”.
NiMet, NIRSAL Plc drive agricultural productivity nationwide

CAPTION:

L – NiMet DG/CEO Prof. Charles Anosike and NIRSAL MD, Abbas Umar Masanawa, during a meeting at NIRSAL Headquarters in Abuja yesterday

 

By Favour Nnabugwu

 

 

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), and the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL Plc) have announced that they will collaborate on several projects to boost agricultural productivity in Nigeria.

This followed a meeting in Abuja at NIRSAL Plc’s headquarters yesterday, between the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of NiMet, Professor Charles Anosike, and the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NIRSAL, Abbas Umar Masanawa, OON.

While speaking at the meeting, Professor Anosike said; “The urgency of climate action requires that critical stakeholders collaborate, invest in preparedness and ensure that smallholder farmers are protected by early warnings of climate disaster.

NiMet is keen on exploring opportunities for both NiMet and NIRSAL to partner in de-risking agriculture. With the work that NiMet does and the data it generates on a daily basis, this will help farmers to plan effectively and efficiently”.

Concluding, Professor Anosike said; “Climate change impacts greatly on farming activities and agricultural yield, hence the need for data-driven farming operations. This will help to de-risk the agricultural value chain”.

While welcoming the NiMet team led by Professor Anosike to NIRSAL, the Managing Director/CEO, Abbas Umar Masanawa, OON, said that NiMet has done well over the years not only in the aviation sector but also in the other economic sectors including agriculture.

“The DG/CEO of NiMet, Professor Charles Anosike and his team have been doing very well not only in aviation but in agriculture as well. NIRSAL is interested in collaborating with them to support small holder farmers for increased productivity. This is in line with NIRSAL’s mandate”.

Masanawa said that collaborating with NiMet is critical as the focus will be on increasing primary production. “This will be beneficial to all as the farmers are the ones that are most vulnerable. We are also happy that NiMeT downscales its weather and climate data and information in different local Nigerian languages for wider reach and understanding”.

“A technical committee will be set up for the benefit of Nigerians and small holder farmers, drawn from experts from NiMet and NIRSAL to operationalize quickly the various areas of interest including but not limited to training, data sharing, setting up weather stations etc”, Masanawa concluded.

Photo News: NAMA MD/CEO, Avsatel MD/CEO visit NiMet DG/CEO Anosike, discuss Collaboration

CAPTION:
The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Prof. Charles Anosike, received in audience the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Engr. Umar Ahmed Farouk in Abuja Wednesday
By Favour Nnabugwu
The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Prof. Charles Anosike, received in audience the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Engr. Umar Ahmed Farouk 3rd right in the group photograph), and the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Avsatel Communications Ltd, Mag. Georg Eder (2nd left), at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja Wednesday.
The three Chief Executive Officers discussed collaboration and other matters that will be of mutual benefits to their respective organizations.
Also at the meeting were Engr. Abdulkareem Hamid Olayinka, Executive Director, Engineering and Technical Services, NiMet (left), and Prof. Vincent Ezikornwor Weli, Executive Director, Weather Services, NiMet (Right).
Photo News: NiMET DG at 10th Aviation Workers Week in Abuja

The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Metrological Agency, NiMET, Prof Charles Anosike attended the 10th of Aviation Workers Week held in Abuja Friday.

CAPTION:

L- The Director General and Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Professor Charles Anosike joined other dignitaries including the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, on Friday in Abuja at the 10th Edition of The Aviation Workers’ Week & Award Nite themed ‘Workers As Strategic Partners In Achieving The Aviation Roadmap’.

FAAN staffers spend N450m on tickets to sign document in Abuja, relocation is certain – Keyamo

By Favour Nnabugwu
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, says there is no going back on the relocation of the headquarters of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) from Abuja to Lagos
“We are going ahead. The directive has been given,” the minister said matter-of-factly on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Wednesday.
He said it was uncalled for the half a billion FAAN staff spent on flight ticket annually to bring document through and from Abuja for signing
“You see them flying every day to and fro Abuja to get one file signed. They fly every day back and forth. In one year, they spent close to half a billion naira on flight tickets. N450m on flight tickets alone,” he said.
Keyamo said the movement of the headquarters of the airport authority has become necessary in line with current economic and operational realities.
all aviation agencies from Lagos to Abuja in 2020, no adequate provision was made for the principal officers like the directors and the departments under them.
He clarified that the headquarters is where the decision-makers meet, not where the largest number of workers are and not where the biggest building is.
He said over 100 of the 132 workers at the head office are in Lagos while only the directors are in Abuja — without their support staffers.
Keyamo said the whole issue was compounded by the fact that FAAN is not yet digitalised and so, in one year, they spent half a billion naira on flight tickets between Lagos and Abuja alone.
NiMET DG seeks collaboration with other agencies on disaster risk reduction, climate change

By Favour Nnabugwu
The Director General and Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Professor Charles Anosike, has called for collaboration amongst relevant agencies with a view to disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.
Speaking in Abuja today, Prof. Anosike at the ‘Technical Workshop On Sendai Framework Monitoring And Reporting’, organized by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the United Nations Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR).
According to Prof. Anosike, “Disasters pose significant challenges to our nation, and we must work together to enhance our coordination mechanism with disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation for better understanding and communication of cost benefit. By fostering partnerships and collaboration, we can collectively strengthen Nigeria’s resilience and effectively mitigate the impacts of disasters”.
Professor Anosike said that the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) recognizes the vital role it plays in providing accurate and timely weather information, forecasting, and climate services.
“By utilizing the Sendai Framework Monitor, we can develop data-driven strategies that will lead to informed decision-making, more resilient communities, and sustainable development”, Professor Anosike concluded.