Provide NiMet Weather Alerts to Disaster-induced Rural Farmers, Group Says

By Kasim Sumaina

The Director-General, Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Prof Mansur Bako Matazu, has urged a group, National Youth for Women Empowerment and Education in Nigeria, to drive the process of ensuring that weather alerts issued by NiMet are provided to the women folk who are most vulnerable to weather-induced disasters in rural areas are farmers.

Matazu, made the appeal when the organisation paid a courtesy visit to his office in Abuja.

While highlighting the essential role of women in the weather dissemination value-chain, Matazu noted that by arming women with weather information, cases of crop losses from members of the particular constituency would be reduced.

The DG, in a statement issued yesterday in Abuja, said with the Nigerian women population amounting to over 59.9 percent, “I believe that there is need to partner the women to disseminate NiMet weather forecast and early warning massages.”

The NiMet boss further said: “As the saying goes, if you educate a woman, you are educating an entire nation.

“The Nigerian Meteorological Agency remains open to purpose-driven partnerships geared towards saving not just the women but Nigerians generally, from suffering crop losses, flooding and wastage due to weather vagaries.”

Similarly, the National Coordinator of the National Youth for Women Empowerment and Education in Nigeria, Mrs. Lami Kayode, stated that women throughout history have played pivotal roles in the development of society, and Nigeria is not an exception.

She said the organisation is devoid of religion, ethnicity and tribe, adding: “Our organisation’s main objective is to see the emancipation and entrenchment of women’s rights and values in Nigeria and the world.”