The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), said they have taken steps to strengthen their collaboration in the interest of Nigeria’s continued socio-economic development.

Speaking at a meeting in the NGF’s office in Abuja, over the weekend, Director General/Chief Executive Officer of NiMet, Prof Charles Anosike, said that a formal relationship between the NGF and NiMet was in the best interest of the country as it would benefit the people. “It’s no longer news that we are seeing increasingly weather events that are affecting our communities.

Every year we count losses of the number of people that have been killed, families and communities displaced, and economic damages. These extreme weather events also trigger human trafficking, disease outbreaks, and other negative impacts,” Anosike said.

He also noted that NiMet and NGF believed strongly that something should be done to mitigate the impact of climate change and would sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to guide their relationship. “If we can proactively collaborate and coordinate our activities, we should be able to reduce the impact of climate change.

This is why NiMet has come to the NGF. Our collaboration will ensure that weather and climate information get to the last mile – the Nigerian people,” he noted. Anosike pointed out that weather and climate information are critical to the sustainable economic development of our people, saying:

“Early warning systems are systematic activities that will ensure that weather and climate information get to the Nigerian people and to the vulnerable to ensure that they would be able to respond accordingly. Not reactively, but proactively. Early warning saves lives but, for it to work effectively, synergistic leadership has to be demonstrated by all the relevant stakeholders.”