National Telescope national telescope newspaper
The Director General of The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET), Prof. Abubakar Sanni Mashi has said that every University in Nigeria is supposed to have a standard weather station.
He said the organization has concluded arrangements to establish Regional Centers of Excellence in Meteorological Research in the six geopolitical zones of the country with the University of Ilorin hosting that of the North Central.
In a statement by Unilorin Director of Corporate Affairs Kunle Akogun on Saturday and made available to CAMPUS FOCUS, The Director General of NIMET, Prof. Abubakar Sanni Mashi, disclosed this last weekend while commissioning the Surface Meteorological Station (equipment for weather data collection) donated by the Agency to the Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University of Ilorin.
Explaining that weather is a critical element that affects everybody, Meshi noted that there is no Department in the University that will not benefit from the newly commissioned Weather Station.
The NiMET boss said that the gesture was part of the Agency’s contribution to the development of education in the country, adding that though universities are primarily charged with the promotion of humanity, they cannot do so meaningfully without adequate attention to the weather.
According to the Director General, Nigeria has only 54 weather observatory stations out of the expected 9,300, pointing out that this has prompted the Agency to partner with universities through the National University Commission (NUC).
He promised that the agency will continue to support the University of Ilorin not just in funding the station but also in providing the complimentary infrastructure it requires in the laboratories.
The event also witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between NIMET and the University of Ilorin.
Earlier in his address before the commissioning and MoU signing, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof. Sulyman Age Abdulkareem, stated that the equipment donated by the Agency to the University is a great blessing that would definitely enhance the teaching and research endeavors of not only the Department of Geography and Environmental Management but also many other related Departments and Units in the University.
