By Ameh Gabriel
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has issued a stern warning to Nigerians to prepare for increasingly extreme weather conditions and unpredictable climate patterns in the coming days, citing the escalating impact of climate change.
Delivering the caution during a sensitization forum in Abuja, the Director-General of NiMet, Professor Charles Anosike, warned that the expected climatic shifts could result in widespread infrastructural damage, disruptions to agriculture, forced displacement of communities, and even loss of lives.
The forum, held in partnership with First Green White Resources, aimed to raise awareness about the pressing need for climate adaptation and proactive disaster preparedness.
Prof. Anosike underscored the vital role of the media in communicating scientific forecasts and early warnings to the public, noting that effective dissemination of weather information is essential for national preparedness.
“The media is critical to ensuring disaster risk awareness and guiding food security decisions,” he stated. “Our forecasts must not just be accurate they must also be accessible and actionable by every Nigerian.”
As part of efforts to align with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, NiMet is prioritizing improvements in service delivery. This includes capacity building for staff and strengthening welfare initiatives across the agency.
In a move to expand its outreach, NiMet also announced ongoing talks with telecommunications giant MTN to deliver real-time weather alerts directly to mobile users in multiple local languages. This innovation is expected to significantly improve early warning response and community-level preparedness.
Prof. Anosike concluded by urging Nigerians to stay informed, take forecast updates seriously, and act on early warnings, emphasizing that proactive preparedness is crucial to building national resilience in the face of a rapidly changing climate
