The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) plans to sign Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NNPC, NIMASA and state governments among others to stem any wrong weather or climate information from the country.
The Director General of NiMet, Prof. Mansur Bako Matazu, disclosed this in an interview with journalists in Katsina yesterday shortly after the commissioning of Muhammadu Buhari Meteorological Institute of Science and Technology, Katsina, by President Buhari.
He said the agency will work with most of the sectors in water and maritime including oil and gas as it had become necessary to make sure Nimet achieve its objective of ensuring that all weather or climate related information from Nigeria meet global standards.
Prof. Matazu, who is the permanent representative of Nigeria in World Meteorological Organization (WMO), stated that NiMet, following its new Establishment Act and updated regulations on weather and climate services, had embarked on sensitization of all relevant sectors.
The Chief Executive of NiMet commended President Buhari for signing the Act aimed, at among others, giving the agency more authority to control and regulate weather information across the nation.
“This will definitely increase our relevance, will increase our interactional and user communication and of course increase our sources of revenue and sustainability as an agency of government,” Matazu declared.
He equally said the newly commissioned institute runs two diploma courses in Meteorological and climate science, adding that they were in the process of getting full accreditation for Higher National Diploma Programmes in Climate Change Science and Electro – Meteorological Technology for the institute in the next few months.
The NiMet boss said the institute, is the first of its kind in West Africa, is equipped to serve as capacity building centre for Nigeria and other countries even parts of Africa.
His words: “This centre will serve the objective to also improve the capacity of personnel of NiMet service and other relevant and related sectors in agricultural, health and environment sectors among others for all to now provide climate smart solutions through advice and information.”
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