FG reduces climate vagaries on food security, says NiMet DG

The Federal Government (FG) had since the sad experience of flood impact of 2012 on food security across the states of the federation not stopped investing on meteorological services that have reduced losses of agricultural produce being experienced by farmers due to the climate change vagaries.

Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Director General (DG)/CEO, Prof. Mansur Bako Matazu disclosed this in his speech delivered to celebrate the World Meteorological Day held at Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau conference centre, Abuja, yesterday.

Prof. Matazu said that the unrelented investment of the Government into meteorological services had reduce occurrences of losses always occasioned by climate change challenges since the year 2012 flood experience  where many agricultural produce worth billions of naira were lost by small holders farmers across the states of the federation.

The  NiMet DG said that ‘’ in the recent decades, incidences of extreme weather events such as tropical cyclones, devastating hurricanes, ferocious wildfires, floods, heat waves, drought, landsides etc have been on the increase with attendant socio-economic impact that have threatened food security, safety of lives and properties, livelihoods, human security, nutrition and health etc. Though the economic value of the 2012 losses due to flood had proved difficult to forget, losses attributed to weather, and climate related event have been on the decline. In 2012, a lot of’ first ‘recorded events took place in terms of rainfall amount but losses have been minimal. This is a direct result of investment in meteorological service to the better positioned to issue timely, accurate and reliable weather prediction’’

He emphasised on why related agencies like Hydrological Services and disaster managers must work in partnership to ensure quick response to reducing risks pertaining to weather disasters, saying the synergy is very important to mark the world meteorological day.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), representative in the North, West and Central Africa, Dr. Bernard Gomez observed gap in weather observations in Africa, saying that 40% of members had a Multi-Hazard Early Warning System (MHEWS).

Gomez pointed further that ‘In Africa, in 2019, only 26% of reporting stations were compliant to WMO standards. These gaps pose a risk to the accuracy of early warnings locally and globally”

Read the full text of the address delivered by the NiMet DG below

 A KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY THE DIRECTOR GENERAL/CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, NIGERIAN METEOROLOGICAL AGENCY, PROFESSOR MANSUR BAKO MATAZU, ON THE OCCASION OF THE WORLD METEOROLOGICAL DAY 2022 ON WEDNESDAY 23RD MARCH 2022 AT ABDULRAHMAN BELLO DAMBAZAU CONFERENCE CENTRE, BILL CLINTON DRIVE, ABUJA.

[protocol]

Let me start by appreciating all our Guests for graciously accepting our invitation and for making it to this special event, to commemorate the coming into force of the Convention establishing the World Meteorological Organization on 23rd March 1950.

2. Ladies and Gentlemen, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) is the United Nations (UN) system's authoritative voice on the state and behaviour of the Earth's atmosphere, its interaction with the land and oceans, the weather and climate it produces and the resulting distribution of water resources. As an intergovernmental organization, WMO originated from the International Meteorological Organization (IMO), conceived at the 1873 Vienna International Meteorological Congress. However, on the 23rd of March 1950, it became World Meteorological Organisation after ratification at its Convention. As WMO, the organisation became the specialised Agency of the United Nations for Meteorology (Weather and Climate), operational Hydrology and related Geophysical Sciences a year later. As a specialised Agency of the UN system, WMO is responsible for monitoring and forecasting the state of the world’s atmosphere, climate, and water.

3. With 187 Member States and 6 Member Territories, WMO has six (6) Regional Associations (I-Africa, II-Asia, III-South America, IV-North America, Central America and the Caribbean, V-South-West Pacific, and VI-Europe) through which WMO programmes and Page 2 of 4

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