The Director General/CEO and his top management paid a courtesy call on the Managing Director/CEO of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) Chief (Dr) George Moghalu on the 13th of April 2023. The visit aimed to find ways to foster and strengthen collaboration between both Agencies.
Welcoming the NiMet team, the MD/CEO expressed his happiness about the visit and was looking forward to a mutually beneficial working relationship. He stated that the primary responsibility of NIWA is the management and all-year-round navigability of all inland waterways in the country. Further speaking, he emphasised the need for both agencies to work together because the more we collaborate, the easier and cheaper the job, because the information that is available to one agency may not be available to another. The Collaboration will improve information and knowledge exchange.
Chief (Dr) Moghalu gave the instance of the collaborative efforts between NIWA and the Nigerian Navy that led to the launch of hydrographic charts of the rivers Benue and Niger a few days ago. The project was funded by Nexim Bank on behalf of Sealink which ships move cargo and passengers within the inland waterways linking upper Benue through the lower Niger to Escarvos. If not for collaboration between the Nigeria Navy and NIWA the project would have been done overseas as was the practice in the past. He explained and assured NiMet of their cooperation anytime.
In response, DG/CEO NiMet, Professor Mansur Bako Matazu observed that NIWA activities are not new as people usually get carried away that marine activities are along our coastal areas but NIWA are educating people through its effect service delivery. He further stated that NiMet feels at home with marine as the whole genesis of weather is a combination of atmospheric dynamics with interaction with water bodies.
Professor Matazu explained the essence of its visit is a collaboration as NiMet is thinking along the lines of establishing marine weather observatory stations in all seaports and major cities as this will increase the density of our marine observatory across the country. He thanked the MD/CEO for his warm welcome and see a lot of potentials of both organisations working together. With this collaboration, these stations can be established quickly and get uploaded on both websites and on the NiMet Weather app which will add value and improve service delivery of both Organisations.
DG/CEO NiMet was accompanied on the visit by the Director, Applied Meteorological Services Prof. Charles Anosike, GM Corporate Communications Muntari Yusuf, Technical Assistant to DG/CEO Oluwaseun Idowu, GM, Planning Abdulrasheed Mohammed, DGM, Marine Unit, Glory Onyegbule and Ebele Odumodu Legal Services
