The Nation Newspaper

Tag: The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet)

  • Deception of early rain: Navigating 2026 farming season

    Deception of early rain: Navigating 2026 farming season

    Sir: As we enter the 2026 planting cycle, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has issued a stern warning that every farmer and policymaker must heed: do not be fooled by the “pseudo-rains.”

    The recent heavy downpours witnessed in parts of the South and West are not the heralds of the growing season, but a climatic mirage. Vincent Weli, NiMet’s Director of Weather Services, has been clear: these rains are unlikely to last beyond two weeks, and a harsh dry spell is set to follow. For a farmer, planting now is not an act of faith; it is a gamble against the odds that could lead to total crop failure.

    Historically, farmers relied on ancestral wisdom, the behaviour of migratory birds or the flowering of specific trees to time their planting. But in an era of rapid climate change, these traditional calendars are being shredded. We are seeing delayed Harmattans and erratic “false starts” to the rainy season that traditional methods can no longer predict with 100% accuracy.

    NiMet has significantly modernized, recently launching an AI Research and Integration Team to sharpen their forecasting. Yet, a gap remains between the high-tech satellite data in Abuja and the man with the hoe in a rural village.

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    To survive 2026, the relationship between the forecaster and the farmer must shift from “command and control” to a partnership of understanding. Farmers should view NiMet’s bulletins not as mere weather reports, but as economic advisories.

    NiMet is scheduled to release the full 2026 Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP) on February 10. This document is the “Bible” for the year. It will detail the length of the growing season and identify which regions face drought or flood. If the forecast predicts a shorter season, farmers must pivot to drought-resistant or early-maturing seed varieties rather than sticking to the “usual” crops.

    Meteorology is a science of probability, not prophecy. While NiMet’s accuracy has improved to international standards, the “last mile” of communication is where the system often falters. We cannot expect a smallholder farmer to navigate a complex PDF on a website; they need a clear, actionable text message: “Do not plant maize this week. Dry spell coming in 10 days. Etc.”

    The 2026 season poses a significant risk to national food security. The Ekiti State government’s recent advisory, urging patience despite early rains is a model of proactive governance that other states should follow.

    Agriculture is no longer just about hard work; it is about data-driven decision-making. As we wait for the official February 10 outlook, the message to our farmers is simple: Keep your seeds in the barn. The sky may be crying, but the earth is not yet ready to give life.

    •Michael Adedotun Oke, Gwagwalada, Abuja.

  • Again, the flooding question

    Again, the flooding question

    That NIMET warns of flash flooding this July, in 20 out of 36 states, is alarming

    The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) has dropped its usual rainy season bomb. In July — this month — 20 states, out of 36, spread across five of Nigeria’s six geo-political zones, risk some flooding crisis, because of pounding rains.

    The states are Benue, Niger and Nasarawa (North Central), Adamawa, Bauchi, Taraba and Yobe (North East), Jigawa, Kaduna, Sokoto and Zamfara (North West),  Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo and Rivers (South-South), Lagos,  Ogun and Ondo (South West).  No South East state is in this dire forecast — but that’s only for July.

    But let’s go back to May, to havoc already wreaked; and using numbers from StatiSense, an environmental monitor, as published by The Punch newspaper.

    That month, flood blighted some 116, 711 Nigerians, in 12 states.  The breakdown: Zamfara: 58, 386, Kwara: 11, 830, Lagos: 9, 324, Enugu: 7, 763, Bayelsa: 5, 328, Kaduna: 5, 149, Benue: 4, 577, Ekiti: 4, 290, Oyo: 2, 040, Sokoto: 2, 971, Taraba: 2, 473 and Borno: 2, 250.  Here, all the six geo-political zones were represented.

    Now, these were not just mere statistics.  They were realtime lives blighted (at worst), adversely impacted (at best).  This was the high cost of intrusive water.  Put in socio-economic terms, laced with the psychological burden of misery, these were avoidable tragedies, had we in place efficient and effective water management and flood control mechanisms.

    More seriously: the entire Nigeria — vast territory, thumping population, and all — would appear yoked as near-hopeless laggards, when the issues are environmental education, flood control and the requisite infrastructure to effectively channel roaring water, when the rain is heavy.  Yet, do a content analysis of newspapers, and even radio talks and television shows every year, and you would find the media not wanting in useful information, on how to face down flooding.

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    Still, a caveat: in this season of climate change, hardly any jurisdiction, even the most environmentally disciplined in the world, escapes flash flooding — a temporary trapping of a heavy body of water, that nevertheless dissipates in hours.

    The Nigerian species is, most times, different: they are near-stagnant floodings that wreak huge, industrial-scale havoc: destroying houses and treasured appliances in households, wrecking farmlands and destroying harvests, and flooding factories and destroying machinery.

    Why is this so, and why is it so recurrent, year-in, year-out here?  The answer may well lie in the NIMET counsel to flood-prone areas, in its July advisory.

    The NIMET advisory: “ … Relocate if necessary, clear drainage systems, prepare emergency kits, turn off electricity and gas during flooding, strengthen mudslide prevention and promote community awareness.”

    But for the first two, the other bits of advice are in order: emergency kits, switching off electricity and gas, pushing mudslide prevention and building environmental enlightenment — all of these are legit emergency protocols that should either help to avert the crisis or minimise it to the barest minimum.

    But “relocate, if necessary” and “clear drainage systems”?  Odd!  If you must locate every rainy season from your abode, how did you — or your landlord — even get the permit to build there in the first instance?  Clearly, the planning authorities, urban or rural, and nationwide too, have been snoring on duty!

    Then, “clear drainage systems” — seriously?  Isn’t this supposed to be a routine, everyday affair, for municipal authorities, for town and cities, where the huge population results in huge generation of refuse and allied wastes?

    That NIMET gives this as emergency advisory is proof that these municipal services have broken down, almost everywhere!  If the local governments clamour for “autonomy”, they all should be judged by how they bring back these every-day cleaning of gutters and clearing of drains, for which the old Lagos Town Council (LTC), and later Lagos City Council (LCC), was very famous.  Now, the old Lagos Island is fissured into many local governments — as other councils nationwide — but the sanitary result is worse, not better!

    But aside managing drain facilities, there simply aren’t enough of those facilities around.  As population always sprints before planning, it’s common to see built-up spaces without a central drainage system to channel and discharge water, before it builds up to destructive floods.  Don’t forget too the dumping of wastes in drains by many undisciplined urban dwellers.

    Perennial flooding is a true mirror of Nigeria’s rotten environmental culture.  To solve this problem, we must enforce basic town planning rules, and the local councils must employ daily gutter gangs to clean and clear the drains.  There is no other way.

  • Again, the flooding question

    Again, the flooding question

    •That NIMET warns of flash flooding this July, in 20 out of 36 states, is alarming

    The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) just dropped its usual rainy season bomb. In July — this month — 20 states, out of 36, spread across five of Nigeria’s six geo-political zones, risk some flooding crisis, because of pounding rains.

    The states are Benue, Niger and Nasarawa (North Central), Adamawa, Bauchi, Taraba and Yobe (North East), Jigawa, Kaduna, Sokoto and Zamfara (North West),  Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo and Rivers (South-South), Lagos,  Ogun and Ondo (South West).  No South East state is in this dire forecast — but that’s only for July.

    But let’s go back to May, to havoc already wreaked; and using numbers from StatiSense, an environmental monitor, as published by The Punch newspaper.

    That month, flood blighted some 116, 711 Nigerians, in 12 states.  The breakdown: Zamfara: 58, 386, Kwara: 11, 830, Lagos: 9, 324, Enugu: 7, 763, Bayelsa: 5, 328, Kaduna: 5, 149, Benue: 4, 577, Ekiti: 4, 290, Oyo: 2, 040, Sokoto: 2, 971, Taraba: 2, 473 and Borno: 2, 250.  Here, all the six geo-political zones were represented.

    Now, these were not just mere statistics.  They were realtime lives blighted (at worst), adversely impacted (at best).  This was the high cost of intrusive water.  Put in socio-economic terms, laced with the psychological burden of misery, these were avoidable tragedies, had we in place efficient and effective water management and flood control mechanisms.

    More seriously: the entire Nigeria — vast territory, thumping population, and all — would appear yoked as near-hopeless laggards, when the issues are environmental education, flood control and the requisite infrastructure to effectively channel roaring water, when the rain is heavy.  Yet, do a content analysis of newspapers, and even radio talks and television shows every year, and you would find the media not wanting in useful information, on how to face down flooding.

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    Still, a caveat: in this season of climate change, hardly any jurisdiction, even the most environmentally disciplined in the world, escapes flash flooding — a temporary trapping of a heavy body of water, that nevertheless dissipates in hours.

    The Nigerian species is, most times, different: they are near-stagnant floodings that wreak huge, industrial-scale havoc: destroying houses and treasured appliances in households, wrecking farmlands and destroying harvests, and flooding factories and destroying machinery.

    Why is this so, and why is it so recurrent, year-in, year-out here?  The answer may well lie in the NIMET counsel to flood-prone areas, in its July advisory.

    The NIMET advisory: “ … Relocate if necessary, clear drainage systems, prepare emergency kits, turn off electricity and gas during flooding, strengthen mudslide prevention and promote community awareness.”

    But for the first two, the other bits of advice are in order: emergency kits, switching off electricity and gas, pushing mudslide prevention and building environmental enlightenment — all of these are legit emergency protocols that should either help to avert the crisis or minimise it to the barest minimum.

    But “relocate, if necessary” and “clear drainage systems”?  Odd!  If you must locate every rainy season from your abode, how did you — or your landlord — even get the permit to build there in the first instance?  Clearly, the planning authorities, urban or rural, and nationwide too, have been snoring on duty!

    Then, “clear drainage systems” — seriously?  Isn’t this supposed to be a routine, everyday affair, for municipal authorities, for town and cities, where the huge population results in huge generation of refuse and allied wastes?

    That NIMET gives this as emergency advisory is proof that these municipal services have broken down, almost everywhere!  If the local governments clamour for “autonomy”, they all should be judged by how they bring back these every-day cleaning of gutters and clearing of drains, for which the old Lagos Town Council (LTC), and later Lagos City Council (LCC), was very famous.  Now, the old Lagos Island is fissured into many local governments — as other councils nationwide — but the sanitary result is worse, not better!

    But aside managing drain facilities, there simply aren’t enough of those facilities around.  As population always sprints before planning, it’s common to see built-up spaces without a central drainage system to channel and discharge water, before it builds up to destructive floods.  Don’t forget too the dumping of wastes in drains by many undisciplined urban dwellers.

    Perennial flooding is a true mirror of Nigeria’s rotten environmental culture.  To solve this problem, we must enforce basic town planning rules, and the local councils must employ daily gutter gangs to clean and clear the drains.  There is no other way.

  • NiMet predicts three days of heavy downpour in 14 States

    NiMet predicts three days of heavy downpour in 14 States

    The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted three days of moderate-heavy rainfall in 14 States across the country.

    The States predicted to experience the heavy downpour are: Bayelsa, Rivers, parts of parts of Delta, Ondo, Edo, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Imo, Abia, Federal Capital Territory, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Kogi and Niger. 

    The forecast period, according to the heavy rainfall forecast bulletin by the agency, is Wednesday 28 to Friday 30th May.

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    The agency while noting that strong winds may accompany the rains, added that there are prospects of flash flooding as a result of the expected moderate to heavy rainfall. 

    It advised the public not to drive through surface runoff waters, as they have strong undercurrents. 

    Other likely hazards, according to NiMet, are slippery road surfaces and reduced visibility during the rain, which can disrupt road traffic. 

  • Why FCT, Niger, Kogi are very hot, by NiMet

    Why FCT, Niger, Kogi are very hot, by NiMet

    The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has given reasons for the high temperatures residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Niger, Kogi and few other states are currently experiencing.

    The current maximum temperature in the listed states is 40°C and the minimum is 23°C.

    The Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP) released last month by the agency shows that most of the northern and central states would record day-time temperatures ranging between 37°C and 40°C, while parts of Kano, Kaduna, Bauchi, and Plateau states in the North as well as Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Ekiti, Edo, Enugu, Anambra, Ebonyi, Imo, Abia, part of Cross River and Delta states in the South are expected to record temperatures ranging between 34°C and 37°C this month.

    The agency attributed the high temperatures to climate change and advised Nigerians to embrace a lifestyle switch.

    Residents of the states experiencing high temperatures are advised to avoid exposure to direct sunlight between noon and 3 p.m.

    There are also indications that this year may be hotter than last year, which was described as the hottest year.

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    NiMet’s Director of Weather Services, Prof. Vincent Weli, announced this while speaking on phone with The Nation yesterday. He said: “Everything is embedded in the climate change theory. Every experience we are having now is a result of climate change. The hotness, in general, is because of climate change.

    “Abuja, Lokoja, and Minna are located within the same ecological zone and these towns share the same weather pattern. Whatever happens to Lokoja will affect Minna and Abuja because they are in the same route of the flow of wind and also lie within the same climatic zone. Also, these towns have the same vegetation pattern.

    “So, since they are within the same climatic belt, everything that affects Minna and the FCT will affect Lokoja accordingly. The heat is affecting everywhere, not just these towns mentioned. We said last year was the hottest in the history of the earth but this year already is trying to beat it to become the hottest.

    “So, as the year increases, it’s obvious that we are going to have higher temperatures. I don’t know where we are headed with this trend, but something needs to be done to reverse the trend.”

    To make the best of the situation, Prof. Weli said: “What can reverse the trend is for us to encourage every activity of man that will reduce the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, such as the use of electric cars, solar power and planting of trees.

    “These will be other sources of energy other than the use of diesel and petrol and other hydrocarbon compounds that we use as sources of power. Also, we should plant more trees to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The more we plant trees, the more we reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the more we increase the oxygen.”

    The NiMet director urged residents of the affected states with high temperatures to take necessary action to overcome the hot weather.

    He said: “In order not to experience what we call heat stroke, people should drink more water often, keep themselves off the direct impact of sunlight between 12 p.m (noon) and 3 p.m. If people do not expose their bodies to the direct impact of sunlight, it will reduce water loss from the system.

    “So, people should drink more water than necessary. Otherwise, their systems will be dehydrated, and that will cause secondary health issues.”

  • NiMet partners CARE Nigeria for sustainable development

    NiMet partners CARE Nigeria for sustainable development

    The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and a global non-governmental organisation (NGO), the Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE) in Nigeria, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on supporting contingency planning and the use of early warning systems.

    The partnership is focused on sustainable agricultural and food systems, health and nutrition, livelihoods and economic development.

    It also encompasses humanitarian risk reduction through adaptation to climate change in designated states across Nigeria.

    The collaboration is aimed at promoting sustainable development and interventions in Nigeria and creating a stronger policy and financing environment for climate programming and systems that uphold climate commitments in Nigeria.

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    During the MoU signing at CARE’s office yesterday in Abuja, NiMet’s Director General, Prof. Charles Anosike said: “With the signing of the MoU, both teams will move quickly to implement the terms of the MoU. This is one of our many efforts at building resilience among our farmers and other climate information users.”

    The Country Director of CARE Nigeria, Dr. Hussaini Abdu, lauded the collaboration.

    He said: “I want to appreciate the DG of NiMet and his team. We met your team just last week and already we are able to quickly put this MoU together. It shows the level of efficiency that colleagues on both sides are committed to. We hope that this is going to be a new beginning in terms of our relationship with NiMet.”

  • NiMet, NGO partner to access end users of weather information

    NiMet, NGO partner to access end users of weather information

    The Director General of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Prof. Charles Anosike, has said the agency’s partnership with an international non-governmental organisation (NGO) rendering humanitarian services, CARE Nigeria, will enable the agency to reach the last mile and other users who will benefit from its weather and climate data.

    Anosike said this when he hosted the Country Director of CARE Nigeria, Dr. Hussaini Abdu, and his team in his office yesterday in Abuja.

    He said: “What we do is very critical to preparing the nation for disaster response. We have partnerships with state governors through the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), other organisations and ministries, departments, agencies (MDAs) through whom we disseminate our weather and climate information.

    “Partnering CARE, a big player in the humanitarian sector globally and in Nigeria, will also help us to reach the end users of our weather and climate information, in addition to our ongoing efforts. We deal with perishable products. Getting the information out to the farmers and other users on time is very important.”

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    The NiMet chief executive noted that the humanitarian crisis the world is currently experiencing is becoming more complex due to the effects of climate change and global conflicts.

    “It is important for us to discuss these issues to see how climate-informed decision-making can be integrated into poverty reduction framework.“

    This is why we are looking forward to the partnership with CARE Nigeria. There is a need to identify the issues that impact our communities.

    “When a climate crisis strikes, it displaces communities and causes forced labour and human trafficking. These exacerbate the challenges that we already have. How we integrate weather and climate information for better decision-making is very critical for sustainable development,” Anosike concluded.

    CARE Nigeria’s Country Director Abdu said: “CARE Nigeria is the country office of CARE U.S.A., which was established in 1945. The organisation was established to support people who are going through a major crisis. It works in over 120 countries, including Nigeria.

    “CARE Nigeria was established in 2017 initially to respond to the situation in the Northeast, but has now expanded its interventions to two major mandate areas. One is to continue our humanitarian response in the Northeast and other parts of the country. The second is to deepen our development programmes.”

  • NiMet to unveil 2025 seasonal climate prediction February 4

    NiMet to unveil 2025 seasonal climate prediction February 4

    The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has said it will unveil this year’s Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP) to the public on February 4.

    The theme for this year is: The Role of Early Warnings towards a Climate Resilient Aviation Industry for Sustainable Socio-Economic Development.

    NiMet predicts and publishes the expected annual pattern of climatic variables, such as rainfall and temperature across Nigeria in the first quarter of each year. This is in pursuance of its mandate of advising the government and the public on all aspects of weather, climate, and water-related matters.

    NiMet’s Director General, Prof. Charles Anosike, said: “The Seasonal Climate Prediction highlights vital weather and climate information that may affect socio-economic activities in the following sectors during the year: agriculture, aviation, disaster risk management, health, oil and gas, telecommunication, tourism, transport (water and land), power (hydro and renewable), water resources management, etc.

    “The socioeconomic implications of the expected rainfall and temperature patterns for some sectors of the economy are also presented in the publication.”

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    The forecast information provided in the SCP document includes the onset and cessation dates of the 2025 rainy season; the length of the cropping season; the total amount of rainfall expected in all the 774 local government areas of the country; temperature (January to May) as well as Malaria and Meningitis vigilance forecast.

    The SCP document is a national document and the public presentation attracts guests from the public and private sectors, development partners, non-governmental organisations, the diplomatic community, farmers associations, among others.

    Aviation and Aerospace Development Minister Festus Keyamo is expected to perform the presentation of the publication alongside its summary for policymakers and translations in three major Nigerian languages, as well as the State of the Climate in Nigeria.

  • Partly cloudy, thunderstorms expected on Tuesday, NiMet

    Partly cloudy, thunderstorms expected on Tuesday, NiMet

    The Nigerian Meteorological Agency ( NiMet ) has predicted partly cloudy weather conditions with isolated thunderstorms in the central states’ cities of Makurdi, Abuja, Jos, Lafia, Mambila and Yola on Tuesday morning.

    NiMet’s Weather Outlook by its Central Forecast Office (CFO) on Monday in Abuja also predicted thunderstorms over Yelwa, Jos, Abuja, Kaduna, Ilorin, Minna and Lokoja in the afternoon and evening hours.

    It added that the central states would experience day and night temperatures in the range of 28 to 32 and 17 to 23 degrees Celsius respectively.

    The agency predicted that southern states would experience chances of morning thunderstorms and rains with localised thunderstorms and in the afternoon and evening hours.

    It states that the southern states would have day and night temperatures in the range of 28 to 31 and 20 to 28 degrees Celsius respectively.

    According to NiMet, northern states will experience partly cloud-to-cloudy conditions in the morning hours with sunny to partly cloudy conditions later in the day.

    “The region will experience chances of thundery activities with rains over Jalingo, Bauchi, Gombe, Gusau and Yelwa with day and night temperatures of 31 to 35 and 20 to 24 degrees Celsius respectively.

    “We expect cloudy and partly cloudy conditions in the northern cities while thunderstorms and rain showers are likely over most places around the central cites and southern states in the next 24 hours,” NiMet said.

  • NiMet boosts revenue through mobile phone weather services

    NiMet boosts revenue through mobile phone weather services

    Prof. Sani Mashi, Director-General, Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), says the agency intends to boost its revenue generation by providing weather information services to mobile phone users.

    Mashi, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Wednesday in Abuja, said that the move was part of NiMet’s commercialisation drive.

    He said that with over 50 million mobile phone subscribers in the country, the agency would embark on aggressive marketing of its products to a minimum of 25 million users.

    According to him, if NiMet can make at least one naira from 25 million users per day then it can generate a minimum of N25 million per day.

    “The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) always emphasised that cost recovery is achieved in producing meteorological data for the public.

    “It said that whatever money you spent in producing meteorological data to the public should be recovered not to make profit.

    “So what we are doing is that we charge recovery cost from whoever is coming to collect our data in order to generate revenue.

    “What we are trying to do is to extend meteorological services to mobile phone user so that you can query our data request for the weather information from wherever you are.

    “Meaning, you don’t have to wait for the news to hear what is going to happen, which means that at all times you can have access to weather information.

    “So through this, if we capture 50 per cent of the 50 million mobile phone subscribers that number will be 25 million users,’’ he said.

    The NiMet boss said the mobile phone application was still awaiting clearance from the Nigeria Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC).

    He explained that any project that had ICT component must be approved by NITDA and NCC, since it involved telecommunication users.

    He also disclosed that the agency would also expand its services to the oil and gas sector, adding that it was hitherto concentrating on aviation because of capacity gap.

    Mashi who explained that effort was being made to expand the agency’s services to the marine sector, stated that the market in oil and gas as well as marine sectors was huger than the aviation.

    “If we develop our capacity to move into those sectors, we will be able to overcome the challenges of revenue generation and NiMet may be able to stand on its own.