The Director General and Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), and Nigeria’s Permanent Representative with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Professor Charles Anosike, was among eminent Nigerians and professionals conferred with the prestigious Honourary Fellowship (HFCRM) of the The Chartered Risk Management Institute of Nigeria (CRMI).

The conferment formed part of the proceedings at the institute’s 23rd annual international conference which had the theme, ‘Emerging Crises In Africa: Way Forward’. During the event which was held on Thursday, 29th August 2024, at Eko Hotel & Suites, the Registrar of the institute, Dr. Victor Olannye, announced that the conferment was novel as it was the first time the institute was awarding honourary fellowships to deserving Nigerians.

Speaking, the President and Chairman of the Council of the institute, Dr. Ezekiel Oseni, said that the honorees were carefully selected and approved by the council of the institute for their contributions to the risk management profession and development of the country.

Other recipients included Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr. Olayemi Michael Cardoso, Governor of Central Bank, Dr. Zaccheus Adedeji, Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Dr. Emomotimi Agama, Director General, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Dr. Olasupo Olusi, MD/CEO, Bank of Industry (BOI), Dame Adaora Umeoji, GMD/CEO, Zenith Bank, Dr. Roosevelt Ogbonna, MD/CEO, Access Bank, and Dr. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, MD/CEO, Fidelity Bank.

Professor Anosike thanked the institute for the recognition and said that NiMet as a federal government agency is at the forefront of promoting climate actions in Nigeria

“NiMet’s ongoing relationships with several agencies have played significant roles in improving climate knowledge, climate risk management, disaster risk preparedness, climate appreciation, and awareness among others. We are currently working on several climate initiatives. These include the national rollout of the United Nations Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative to develop a formal roadmap to ensure warnings of all multi-hazard hydrometeorological events reach all vulnerable populations. We are also driving the National Framework for Climate Services (NFCS) and a domestication of the WMO Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS)”.

Continuing, Prof. Anosike said: “NiMet’s annual Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP) is a critical Early Warning tool for national climate actions. We will continue to drive the key components of early warning; risk knowledge, monitoring, observation, and dissemination. For the effective impact of the SCP and other early warning products from NiMet, these early warnings must be matched with early actions by all to mitigate the associated risks and build a more resilient society”.