BENJAMIN OMOIKE
The Nigeria Meteorological Agency, NiMet, has called on stakeholders in the marine sector to take advantage of its products and services for safe and secure operations in the maritime sector.
At the beginning of a two-day Needs Assessment workshop for Stakeholders in the Maritime and Oil and Gas sectors in Lagos, the Director General, NiMet, Prof. Mansur Matazu, in his opening remarks said, NiMet has the capability and capacity to effectively handle the needs of the sector.
Prof. Matazu, represented by the Director, Weather Forecasting Services, Mailadi Yusuf, stated that understanding the growing needs and opportunities within the maritime sector, the agency has empowered and equipped its manpower with the requisite knowledge, has modern infrastructure to meet these needs for the growth of the sector and improved the socio-economic development of the country.
“As an organisation, our efforts are geared towards better understanding of the relationship between weather and coastal activities.”
Prof. Matazu explained that the essence of the workshop is to interact with stakeholders in the maritime and marine sector to try to get to know what their needs are, so that the agency can provide them with the kind of information that will help them develop their sectors.
“Our focus is on how efficiently the Nigerian Meteorological Agency can offer products and services in support of marine and every other coastal activity including safe operations of, ports and harbours, ocean-going vessels, fisheries, oil & gas exploration, energy, search and rescue, safety on our waters, tourism activities and more.”
According to him, his clarion call to stakeholders in the sector is to understand what they do and how they do it and to assist them in doing it better and serve them efficiently for the overall good of the nation’s economy.
The NiMet boss emphasised that the services they require in terms of weather information and other related services were readily available here in Nigeria and they do not need to get such services from foreign providers which is the prevailing practice currently.
“Our desire is to increase the uptake of our products and services within your domain and indeed by all Nigerians and reduce drastically the acquisition of such services from foreign providers which is the prevailing practice, thus providing of the country’s security and economy and strengthening the capacity of the agency to deliver in line with the provision of the Nigerian Local Content Development and Enforcement Act.”
Prof. Matazu listed efforts thus made by the agency in the maritime sector to include the historic MoU signed between the agency and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA.
He explained that the MoU is geared towards improving the agency’s intervention in the marine meteorological programmes and activities which includes execution of projects worth over N2 billion within the next two years.
“The Agency is upgrading and expanding its network of automatic marine observing stations including installations of tide gages and buoy systems, and establishment of a dedicated Central Marine Forecast Office (CMFO). These projects are intended to offer world-class marine services to all stakeholders in the Marine and Maritime Sectors that include Oil and Gas, Ocean Research, Fisheries, Coastal protection and security, Ports and Harbours, and more.”
Giving an overview of NiMet Operations and Marine Met services, the Technical Adviser to the DG NiMet, Mr. Idowu Olawaseun, stressed that for over a 130 years of service, the agency had continue to deliver on its mandate of providing meteorological, hydrological and oceanographic services in support of national needs and international obligations.
