Oluwatobi Adu 
ABUJA, Nigeria – The NiMet Smart Climate Project has entered a new phase after the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and Yakubu Gowon University established a joint technical team to strengthen climate research, improve weather services and expand the use of climate information for national development.
The agreement is reached on Tuesday during a courtesy visit by the Vice-Chancellor of Yakubu Gowon University, Prof. Hakeem Babatunde Fawehinmi, and the university’s management team to the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NiMet, Prof. Charles Anosike.
The visit focuses on deepening collaboration on the NiMet Smart Climate Project and other climate-related initiatives between the university and the national weather agency.
Speaking during the meeting, Fawehinmi says the engagement is undertaken on behalf of the Governing Council of the University of Abuja, now renamed Yakubu Gowon University, under the leadership of Distinguished Senator Dr Olanrewaju Tejuoso.
He says discussions centre on expanding cooperation in climate science and strengthening partnerships between academia and government institutions.
Both organisations identify priority areas for collaboration, including joint research, remote sensing technologies, Geographic Information System (GIS) tools, weather stations, climate data applications, academic-industry partnerships and knowledge exchange.
The institutions also agree to promote wider use of climate information to support research, innovation and evidence-based decision-making.
Welcoming the delegation, Prof. Anosike congratulates Fawehinmi on his appointment as substantive vice-chancellor and underscores the importance of closer institutional collaboration.
“The university remains NiMet’s closest academic partner,” Anosike says.
He notes that more than 60 per cent of NiMet interns come from the university and recalls the agency’s previous support in establishing its weather station.
Anosike urges universities benefiting from NiMet-supported weather stations to maintain the facilities to support teaching, research and climate services.
He also pledges that NiMet will establish a new weather station at Yakubu Gowon University.
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