Centre Lauds Anosike’s Leadership at NiMet over Accurate Weather Forecast, Aviation Safety, Food Security, Others

The Centre for Strategic Communications on Defence and Security (CSCDS) has said the deployment of cutting-edge technology, especially digitalization of operations by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) in the last two years are some of the reasons Nigeria has become reference hub for accurate weather and climate reports.

CSCDS, an affiliate of First Green White Resources (FGWR), said this in turn contributed immensely to aviation safety and protection of agriculture infrastructures, among others, in the country.

The Founder/Executive Director of CSCDS, Bonaventure Phillips Melah, in a statement released in Abuja on Monday, said the Centre has concluded auditing of some institutions, agencies and organisations that are strategic to Nigeria’s overall wellbeing for 2025, adding that NiMet was examined beginning from December 13, 2023 when Professor Charles Anosike took office as Director General and Chief Executive Officer.

Bonaventure who is also the Founder of Nigeria’s Pride Awards, said subjecting agencies of government and private businesses to scrutiny, was necessary to ensure that Nigerians are given best quality services, especially by those on government’s payroll.

He said: “We recall that Prof. Charles Anosike was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of NiMet about two years ago, precisely, in December 2023 by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, with a clear mandate to reposition the organization, in line with the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

“Our findings revealed that when he assumed office, Anosike was confronted with several institutional challenges including lack of leadership drive, slow and ineffective migration to modern technologies and a demoralized workforce that were denied series of entitlements and claims and therefore rightly agitative.

“Undaunted, Prof. Anosike had combined several ‘Cs’ of leadership- including competence, Courage, Consistency, Commitment, Character, Communication and Clarity to chart a new route of goal-setting and achievements for the organization. Leveraging digital innovations and forging strategic partnerships with local and international institutions, he has, in the past two years, closed critical gaps and achieved remarkable milestones for the organization, so much so that, NiMet is currently rated among Grade-A performing agencies in the country.”

He noted that Anosike’s ability to key into President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda as well as adhere to the strict supervisory rules of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, were part of the reasons for the remarkable achievements recorded by NiMet within the two years under review.

“In addition, Anosike has held firm, a twin-chain that include drawing inspiration from President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda that hammers on providing best quality service to the people and submission to the strict supervisory approach of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Barrister Festus Keyamo, SAN, who does not brood indolence and would not suffer non-compliance to highest operational standards.

“The result is that NiMet has witnessed series of transformations that have ensured Nigeria’s weather services are more accurate, reliable, and impactful than ever before. The agency actively works with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and other partners to improve communication of climate information to the public. The agency has also been playing crucial role in supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by providing essential data to combat desertification and restore land affected by drought, thereby establishing itself as an authority with clear understanding that its responsibilities go beyond daily weather reports, but include long-term climate and environmental protection,” Bonaventure said.

Recognizing the strategic importance of synergy with other organisations and stakeholders to achieve set goals, he said that NiMet has entered into series of partnership deals, a few of which include a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), meant to drive climate-resilient agriculture across the continent and listed some of the agencies and institutions that NiMet has formed partnership with, saying the relationships have contributed immensely to the successes recorded by the agency.

Bonaventure said: “Several partnerships have been entered into with sister government agencies, universities and research institutions within Nigeria and across the world. According to Prof. Anosike, these collaborations are vital in building a climate-resilient society and mitigating the impact of extreme weather.

“Also, NiMet, Sahel, IRI and Gates Foundation launched ‘ENACTS Initiative’ to strengthen access to climate data. The event held in Abuja under the Building Agricultural Systems Resilience in Nigeria Project financed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and featured a Project Review Workshop with stakeholders across agriculture, health, water resources, blue economy and disaster management, among others.

“NiMet was also part of an Investor Roundtable hosted by the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX) to commemorate the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) Preparers Readiness Programme and strengthen partnerships and networking for agencies with similar objectives.

“NiMet also entered into partnership with the Kingdom of Morocco on AI-Based Weather Forecast, Early Warning Systems at an event where Anosike and his Moroccan counterpart, Mohammed Dhkissi, pledged to deepen bilateral cooperation between the two institutions, particularly in the area of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven weather forecasting and early warning systems for enhanced climate resilience.

“To further bolster its ICT capacity aimed at greater efficiency, NiMet entered a strategic alliance with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) with Anosike saying the goal was to foster collaboration and explore strategic areas between the two key government institutions which aims to enhance the credibility of NiMet’s services.

“Simultaneously also, was the signing of MoU between NiMet Landmark University aimed at advancing meteorological research and deepening climate science education in Nigeria which seeks to enhance the collection and analysis of climate data and support initiatives that promote environmental resilience and sustainable national development.

“The above is even as a few days ago, the management of AKADEMIYA2063 paid a courtesy visit to Prof. Charles Anosike, to explore concrete areas of collaboration where the NiMet boss highlighted the agency’s priority to strengthen weather and climate services for national development and underscored the growing role of AI and big data analytics in enhancing NiMet’s operations while noting that NiMet already has staff with expertise in AI and machine learning who have developed models for data collection, analysis, and forecasting.”

He went on to real out some of the achievements of NiMet in two years under Prof. Anosike- “One of the most significant milestones of NiMet under Anosike is digitalization of operations. The agency has replaced its traditional manual flight folder system with an electronic flight folder also known as e-flight folder.

“This cutting-edge tool provides virtual access to a comprehensive suite of flight briefing applications, including weather reports, to pilots and airlines, thereby facilitating informed decision-making and enhancing safety protocols.

“For a better application of the envelop, NiMet in January 2025, conducted a two-day training exercise for airline operators on the e-flight folder app, a web-based tool that facilitates seamless interaction between airlines and NiMet, ensuring efficient management and delivery of flight folders electronically. With the knowledge acquired therefrom, both scheduled and non-scheduled flights can now be submitted and retrieved with remarkable ease. The system also incorporates user-friendly feedback mechanisms, allowing pilots and operators to share their experiences for continuous improvement.

“NiMet currently has a world-class weather presentation infrastructure which Anosike’s management upgraded to 4K resolution. The transformative initiative was achieved in partnership with global technology leader Chyron. The cutting-edge facility plays pivotal role in NiMet’s current weather presentation capabilities and therefore a critical milestone in the agency’s commitment to delivering world-class meteorological services.

“The agency has also completed full audit of dilapidated infrastructures and ill-conceived projects as well as unveiled the Aeronautical Meteorology Bulletin, a groundbreaking publication designed to promote a deeper understanding of meteorology in the aviation industry. The bulletin aims to empower airlines, pilots, air traffic controllers, and ground services to anticipate and manage weather-related challenges more effectively.

“Another area of pride for NiMet is the agency’s flagship product, the Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP), a vital early warning tool for farmers, livestock practitioners, and other sectors of the economy as well as the implementation of a co-production process, engaging relevant stakeholders in weather-sensitive sectors to craft informed, user-tailored weather forecasts. These forecasts are translated into Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, and Pidgin to enhance uptake and facilitate better planning and climate-smart decision-making.

“The agency also successfully launched a centralised Secure Aviation Data Information Service (SADIS) Application Programming Interface (API) platform aimed at boosting Aviation safety efficiency in Nigeria. It was part of the overall modernisation of the country’s aviation weather services with Nigeria becoming a trailblazer in Africa.

“The SADIS API, operated by the United Kingdom Met Office under the supervision of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), grants programmatic access to the World Area Forecast System (WAFS) datasets alongside other vital meteorological information.

“Not long ago, NiMet took a major step toward sustainable innovation with the deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) for airside operations across Nigeria’s five international airports — Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt, and Enugu. The development marked the first deployment of EVs in the nation’s aviation sector, positioning NiMet at the forefront of environmental transformation and operational efficiency which aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda on clean energy and climate resilience. The vehicles are capable of covering up to 200 kilometers on a single charge and are supported by dedicated charging stations at each airport.”

“Furthermore, NiMet and other stakeholders in the aviation industry concluded nationwide Quality Management System (QMS) Engagement across major airports as part of efforts to strengthen service delivery, improve aviation safety, and sustain its ISO 9001:2015 certification for aeronautical meteorological services.”

The CSCDS Executive Director also praised the management of NiMet under Prof. Anosike for its efforts in strengthening operational efficiency and accountability as part of the agency’s transformational growth.

“In its quest to enhance and strengthen operational efficiency, accountability and strategic alignment across the agency, Prof. Anosike-led NiMet commenced internal transformation process with the introduction of the Balanced Scorecard Performance Management System to improve service delivery. At a meeting with management, Prof. Anosike said the Balanced Scorecard Performance Management System, is one of the global management tools organizations use to translate strategy into performance and noted the rising importance of intangible assets such as intellectual property, human resources, data, innovation, and brand reputation in today’s knowledge-driven economy.

On the welfare of workers and enhancing their competence and capacity, he said- “While working tirelessly to reposition NiMet which has yielded remarkable results, Prof. Anosike’s management has taken several steps to improve the welfare of workers through prompt payment of the allowances and clams as well as settlement of inherited promotion entitlements, including outstanding minimum wage arrears owed to staff from 2019 to 2022.

“As severally testified by the workers and their Unions, NiMet under Anosike, has paid serious attention to capacity building of both management staff and the entire workforce with over 1,900 of them benefitting from several sponsored training and retraining programmes to keep them updated with modern trends, overall aim being to provide best quality service to the nation and Nigerians.

“The standing ovations being given to NiMet at several national and international gatherings as well as awards and accolades are part of the various testimonies of Anosike’s bold footprints at the agency.”

He mentioned a few of the many national and international recognitions Anosike’s giant stride had attracted for NiMet, saying- “Within the past twenty-four months, Anosike has received several prestigious awards including “Best Federal MDA in Open Data Excellence” by Nigeria GovTech Public Service Awards 2025 which also decorated him with the ‘Distinguished GovTech Trailblazer’s Award;’ ‘Aviation Sector CEO of the Year 2024;’ the 2025 ‘African Public Sector Leadership Impact Award’ for his transformational leadership, organized by the African Leadership Magazine at an event held in Casablanca, Morocco, where Anosike was honoured alongside other notable dignitaries including serving presidents of two African countries and the MD/CEO of First Bank of Nigeria Plc. The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) also honoured Anosike with ‘Outstanding Mentorship Award.’

Bonaventure commended NiMet leadership for responding to the need for further institutional strengthening of the agency through legislative framework as necessary for greater efficiency.

“Even with such inexhaustible list of achievements, Prof. Anosike, in his quest to further get NiMet to do more exploits for the benefit of Nigerian people as well as security of the nation, led a team of the agency’s management to a public hearing on Tuesday, July 22, 2025 with the aim of advancing reasons why the NiMet Act No. 29, 2022 should be amended.

“Anosike said weather and climate had a direct and far-reaching impact on virtually every sector of the Nigerian economy – aviation, maritime, agriculture, construction, oil and gas, telecommunications, and disaster risk reduction, among others.

“According to him, although the NiMet Act was amended as recently as 2022 to strengthen the Agency’s legal and operational framework, the realities of implementation have revealed some gaps that hinder its full effectiveness. In particular, challenges remain in the areas of cost recovery, rulemaking, and compliance & enforcement.”