NIMET DG advocates for more synoptic stations in Nigeria

Director General of the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Professor Abubakar Sani Mashi, has advocated the establishment of more synoptic stations across the country in order to minimize the hardship faced by meteorologists in the critical duty of weather data collection for more enhanced accuracy of forecasts.

The call is coming at the heels of his resolve to ensure a proper seasonal weather forecast in Nigeria to help boost the nation’s economy.

A synoptic station is a weather facility, either on land or sea, with weather instruments that measure atmospheric conditions which provide information to meteorologists for weather forecasts and the study of weather and climate.

The measurements taken include temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, wind speed, wind direction, and precipitation amounts. What this means is that NiMet will have more locations for data collection and a higher prospect of providing more timely and accurate weather information for users, including decision makers in diverse sectors of the economy as well as the general public.

Prof Sani Mashi declared that “The establishment of more synoptic stations is in compliance with the requirements of World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which prescribes the establishment of meteorological stations, otherwise known as synoptic stations at a minimum of 100 kilometers apart from each other.

At the local level, more synoptic stations will also translate to more employment opportunities for the teeming youth of this nation, which is in tandem with the federal government’s drive for job creation.

And for NiMet in particular, more synoptic stations will increase the number of data collection points and thus enrich its data reservoir for research purposes”. He said this at a press conference at the Muritala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos as part of his ongoing national tour of operational facilities.

NiMet is the high tech agency of government, charged with providing weather information to the broad spectrum of users of weather products for economic development purposes, and deploys modern ICT equipment with the meteorologists at the heart of its operations.

NiMet Meteorologists are duty bound to monitor equipment at synoptic stations and take readings at pre-scheduled times. This also presupposes a recurrent need for more meteorological observers with assured career prospects for young Nigerian scientists.

Over the years, available records show a clear endorsement of the integrity of NiMet forecasts by stakeholders and users. This has been achieved according to Professor Mashi, “by the innovation and hard work of his predecessors and a capable manpower despite obvious work place challenges.

I am impressed with the quality of service and infrastructure, especially then compared to the resources available to the agency.”

Professor Mashi also used the opportunity to reiterate his commitment to sustaining the vision of transforming NiMet into a global powerhouse for meteorology.