Charles Anosike, director general, NiMet

Sade Williams/Business a.m.

The Akanu Ibiam International Airport Enugu has been successfully certified to the NiMet’s quality management system ISO 9001:2015 scope for the provision of aeronautical meteorological services to the aviation industry.

The certification is in fulfilment of a directive by Festus Keyamo, minister of aviation and aerospace development, to the Charles Anosike, a professor and director general and chief executive officer, Nigerian Meteorological Agency, to “ensure strict compliance with safety regulations and continuous upward movement of Nigeria’s rating by World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

The feat was achieved after a successful third-party audit of NiMet’s products and services offered to airlines at Enugu International Airport by Certech Inc. Canada.

NiMet’s services were found to be in conformity with the requirements of ISO 9001:2015 standard after a rigorous audit that lasted from 15th to 17th July 2024.

NiMet was successfully recertified to the ISO standard in July 2023 for Murtala Muhammed International Airport Ikeja, Aminu Kano International Airport, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport and the Port Harcourt International Airport Omagwa.

The ISO certification is usually valid for a three year period with a yearly surveillance and maintenance audit until the next recertification due date in the year 2026.

The recent achievement of a revised certification by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) of ISO 9001:2015 for the provision of meteorological services to the aviation industry for five Nigerian international airports namely; Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, Port Harcourt, and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, is being applauded.

Work is ongoing to add seven  additional international airports; Maiduguri, Asaba, Owerri, Ibadan, Katsina, Yola and Kaduna to the scope of the QMS ISO certification in NiMet.

In a letter to the NiMet chief, Anosike, dated July 17, 2024, with the heading ‘ISO 9001:2015’, and signed by Frank Strohmeier, lead auditor and director at Certech, the certification agency noted as follows; ‘The audit objectives for the surveillance audit were achieved. A systematic process audit was performed with emphasis on risks and objectives per ISO 9001:2015’.

Accordingly, the 3rd party audit by Certech Inc. Canada resulted in the issuance of a revised certificate that states; “The Nigerian Meteorological Agency quality management system conforms to the requirements of ISO 9001:2015 for the provision of meteorological services to the aviation industry’.

It is noteworthy that this feat was achieved successfully at the very first time NiMet’s AeroMet products and services at Akanu Ibiam lnternational Airport, Enugu, are being audited for certification to the ISO 9001:2015.

Anosike, the director general and chief executive officer of NiMet said: “We are excited about this. Our Quality Management System (QMS) team led by Usman Abdulrahman have been working round the clock to achieve this feat. We are not stopping here as management is focused on overall improvement of standards at all our operational locations”.