The director general and chief executive officer of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Prof Charles Anosike has welcomed the idea by the directorate general, European Commission Humanitarian Office (ECHO) to partner the agency in disaster risk reduction
Anosike made the remark while speaking with a delegation from the directorate general of ECHO, who paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Abuja.
He commended the European Union (EU) for its various interventions in Nigeria.
“The proposed partnership with the Directorate General- European Commission Humanitarian Office (DG-ECHO) in disaster risk reduction is good for Nigeria, for our farmers and operators in other economic sectors.
“NiMet already disseminates weather and other climate related information on a daily basis. The weather advisories and forecasts we issue help to reduce disasters.
Also, the weather data we issue to NIHSA helps them in the preparation of their annual flood outlook. When people are aware of extreme weather events, they prepare for it,” he said.
For her part, a member of the delegation who spoke on behalf of the EU team, Lisa De La Rubia, said the directorate general, ECHO, “considers NiMet a critical agency hence the desire to partner with it.”
The Directorate General-European Commission Humanitarian Office sees strong potentials for partnership with NiMet in setting up systems and strategies over the next three years towards disaster risk reduction in Nigeria,” she said.
