Professor Charles Anosike, the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), has been nominated by the Board of Editors of Independent Newspapers Limited as Aviation Sector CEO of the Year 2024.

This was revealed in a statement forwarded to journalists on Friday, from the NiMet’s Corporate Media Office, in the country’s political capital, Abuja.

Presenting the letter of nomination to Professor Anosike in his office in Abuja, Mr Steve Omanufeme, the Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief, said that the nomination was in recognition of his proactive efforts within a short time in, “Transforming the agency and its valued contribution to various socio-economic sectors of the country through partnerships with local and international institutions”.

Continuing, the letter read; “We particularly note your agency’s issuance of early warnings aimed at preventing the loss of property, including farmlands, and lives, especially to flood across the country due to climate change which is a threat multiplier”.

It said that the Board of Editors also considered various partnerships NiMet has entered into with many agencies in the period covered by this award, such as the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to enhance disease preparedness and response, particularly for climate-sensitive diseases like cholera and malaria, in a bid to facilitate the sharing of crucial data, expertise, and resources, while ensuring a correlation of climate patterns with disease outbreaks, leading to better predictive models and risk assessments.

The letter mentioned the successful conclusion of the re-accreditation of NiMet’s Regional Training School in Oshodi, Lagos by a team from the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) Headquarters In Geneva, Switzerland.

“The Board of Editors also considered the commitment of NiMet’s management to human capital and capacity development amongst other achievements.

Responding, Professor Anosike thanked members of the Board of Editors of Independent Newspapers for finding him a worthy nominee.

he said, “This honour will spur me on to do more towards fulfilling the mandate given to NiMet by the law, and also the expectations of Nigerians and other critical stakeholders of the agency”.

Professor Anosike thanked the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo SAN, for his supportive leadership, and dedicated the award to the hardworking staff and management of NiMet.

The investiture will take place on Saturday, March 15, 2025, by 6.00 pm, at the Convention Centre, Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.