The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) is looking for business from the maritime, oil and gas sectors of the Nigerian economy in order to strengthen its push to deliver the provisions of the Nigerian Local Content Development and Enforcement Act.
The agency, by law, is the sole authority that prescribes and issues meteorological information and data required for all sectoral activities in Nigeria, including agriculture, aviation, defence, telecommunication, marine, transport, water resources, health and other sectors.
It therefore plans to reduce the use of meteorological services from private service providers for stakeholders in the marine and oil and gas sector.
Recall that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between NiMet and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to carry out major services.
At a two-day NEEDS Assessment Workshop for Stakeholders in the Marine and Oil and Gas Sectors, Mansur Matazu, professor and director general of the agency, said Nimet is out to sensitise and enlighten stakeholders of its activities in order to know what their needs are in order to provide them too.
On the reduction of foreign and private service providers in the maritime sector, he stressed that the prevailing practice where private and foreign companies give out and charge for meteorological information, if stopped, would improve on the country’s security and economy, and strengthen NiMet’s capacity tremendously.
Matazu, who was represented by Mailadi Yusuf, director, weather forecasting services, said: “Well, these services are basically meteorological marine services and presently most of the services are provided by foreign service providers and private providers, not necessarily foreign; some are Nigerian, and we don’t know them but we know the service going on in those sectors [and] someone is providing those services.
“We are trying to, by this workshop, show that we have the capacity and capability to actually give the same information that our stakeholders are taking from elsewhere. So, probably they are not aware that NiMet provides these services and through this workshop, we will enlighten them that these services are available in-house and you don’t have to go anywhere or any foreign meteorological agency to get this or go to any private sector person that would charge you exorbitant[ly], that the Nigerian government has established NiMet to deliver those services,” he said.
On services being rendered, he highlighted marine weather service for shipping companies that come into Nigeria waters.
“Our dear stakeholders … our clarion call to you is to understand what we do, and how we do it and assist us in doing it better in order to serve you more efficiently and improve the livelihoods and socio-economic prosperity of our dear nation, Nigeria. Our desire is to increase the uptake of our products and services within your domain and indeed by all Nigerians and reduce drastically the acquisition of such services from foreign providers, which is the prevailing practice, thus, improving on the country’s security and economy, and, strengthening the capacity of the agency to deliver in line with the provisions of the Nigerian Local Content Development and Enforcement Act,” he added.
According to the NiMet Establishment Act 2022, it is law that NiMet alone shall be sole authority to prescribe and issue the meteorological information and data required for all sectoral activities in Nigeria, including agriculture, aviation, defence, telecommunication, marine, transport, water resources, health and other sectors.
Matazu said NiMet understands the growing needs and opportunities within the maritime sector stressing that as an agency, it has also grown in competencies, human and infrastructural development to meet these needs and explore the opportunities for the growth of the industry and improvement of the socio-economic development of the nation.
He stressed that NiMet’s efforts are geared towards better understanding of the relationship between weather and coastal activities with focus on how efficiently it can offer products and services in support of marine and every other coastal activity, including safe operations of ports and harbours, ocean-going vessels, fisheries, oil & gas exploration, energy, search & rescue, safety on our waters, tourism activities and more.
