The Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Professor Charles Anosike, has said that the agency remains committed to its mandate, and synergises with sister MDAs such as the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), the National Emergency Management Agency of Nigeria
(NEMA) and others to ensure readiness to combat weather- and climate-related hazards.
Professor Anosike was speaking on Tuesday, 13th May 2025, at a meeting convened by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, represented by Permanent Secretary Dr. Maurice Mbaeri. The meeting, which had as its theme ‘Prevention and management of the devastating effect of flooding in Nigeria,’ is in line with the 2023 resolutions of the House of Representatives on the same subject matter.
Professor Anosike said that NiMet has been saddled with the responsibility of observing, monitoring, and forecasting timely and accurate rainfall forecasts, including torrential rainfall, and monitoring flash floods that can rip through riverbeds and urban streets.
“To fulfill our mandate, we have access to world-class satellite systems. Just a few days ago, we unveiled the MeteoSat Third Generation Satellite system with advanced capabilities, providing quality data and higher resolution to improve weather forecasting”.
Continuing, Professor Anosike said that NiMet operates a network of observing stations in every state of the federation and forecasting centers in multiple locations across the country.
“Our forecasts range from daily, weekly, and seasonal outlooks. Some of our products in support of flood risk management include daily weather outlooks, three-day impact-based forecasts, weekly heavy rainfall forecasts, rainfall intensity frequency duration curves, flash flood risk mapping, quarterly drought and flood monitoring bulletins, and our flagship product, the seasonal climate prediction,” he said.
Concluding, Prof. Anosike said that NiMet produces and also issues updates, including weather alerts and warnings, as part of the Agency’s early warning drive to protect lives and property. “We are also at the cusp of rolling out a national framework for early warning for all with support from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) for better understanding of the framework for early warnings such as disaster risk knowledge, observation and forecasting, dissemination and communication, and preparedness and response capability.
