Weather affects virtually every facet of human existence. Weather, somewhat, determines what we eat, drink, wear and even when and how to do such activities.
Weather is the atmospheric condition of a particular place and time as regards heat, cloudiness, dryness, sunshine, wind and rain, among others.
It is no gain saying the global warming has affected weather conditions over time, making it difficult for anyone to predict or forecast the weather without using modern equipment or parameters.
Realising these facts, the Nigerian Metrological Agency (NiMet), has been partnering with relevant stakeholders to set up weather stations to enhance accurate weather forecast.
The partnership yielded positive results as Plateau government through the Nigerian Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP), established three weather stations in the stations.
The stations were deliberately located in the three senatorial districts of the state to spread the coverage.
The three weather stations are situated in University of Jos (Plateau North), Federal College of Education Pankshin (Plateau Central) and College of Agriculture Garkawa (Plateau South).
The NiMet Director-General, Prof. Mansur Matazu, at the inauguration of the new weather stations said that the stations would positively impact all sectors of the Nigerian economy.
Matazu, who was represented by Nigeria HydroMet’s General Manager, Mr Daniel Okafor, was excited that the agency got more stations to enhance its coverage.
According to the D-G, the stations will add to the data NiMet gathers for the nation to get tailored information and pieces of advice that will help policy makers in taking informed decisions.
“It is also to aid different sectors of the economy that are weather dependent on making their plans towards doing whatever they want to do in their sector.
“There is no sector of the economy that doesn’t depend on weather.
“The weather we are in which is a global phenomenon: we are talking about climate change, rise in temperature, the amount of rainfall we used to have; in some places it is near to nothing, in other places it is too much.
“With these kinds of stations and several others located in different coordinates in the country, we will be able to monitor and forecast the total amount of rainfall that is expected in different regions.
“It would enable the farmers (agricultural sector) to know the planting season, the duration of the rainfall, kinds of crops to plant, the period of maturity and the rest.
“In the aviation sector, without weather information the pilot cannot fly because he needs to know the weather from where he is leaving to where he is going,’’ he said.
According to him, the weather stations in the country are grossly inadequate.
Matazu said that going by World Metrological Organisation’s (WMO) standard, the weather stations should be at the maximum 100 kilometres apart.
Dr Salisu Dahiru, NEWMAP National Project Coordinator, noted that the stations usually brought essential aspects of learning to the institutions where they were located.
Dahiru, represented by NEWMAP’s Water Specialist, Mr Ayuba Anda, stated that students who would be in the field after graduation needed to have good knowledge of the role weather played in agriculture and other human endeavours.
“For the institution as a centre of learning, the lecturers have a dire need for more knowledge of modern weather equipment and their utilisation to enable them to teach the students better
“They will get data to show the students how these data would be used, archived, analysed and transmitted into reasonable information that would be meaningful for planning and development,’’ he said.
He stated that the equipment in stations were tested and guaranteed to have long lifespan, and, however, added that “for it to be sustained, it requires simple maintenance culture.”
He gave such maintenance culture as cleaning the environment, dusting the solar panels and checking the battery terminals at all times.
He said they would “ensure that there is enough current that would be running the station in order to bring out the data as required.”
Gov. Simon Lalong of Plateau, who inaugurated the stations, also said that it would impact on the lives of the institutions as well as other Nigerians.
The governor, who was represented by Mr Yakubu Idi, the Commisioner for Environment, said that as a government, it was aware of the challenges that might accompany the establishment of the stations.
“As we encourage the institutions to put up sustainability plans, the state government through the NEWMAP is going to draw another sustainability plan as an alternative.
“In the event that the institution fails, we can fall back on that of the state government.
“I am happy that while NEWMAP is winding up, we have the ACRISAL coming on board to continue from where NEWMAP stopped.
“The ACRISAL also have a component of climate change as well as weather focus and I believe the establishment of weather stations is equally embedded in it,’’ he said.
The equipment in each of the stations include: wind vane, anemometer, soil sensor, thermometer, pyranometer (measuring sunshine) instrument to measure relative humidity as well as instrument to measure radiation.
The heads of the institutions commended NEWMAP and other stakeholders for situating the stations in their schools and promised to secure and maintain the stations for optimum use.
Benefiting institutions could not hide their excitement as they rained encomiums on Plateau government for ensuring that the stations were cited in Plateau.
The Vice-Chancellor, University of Jos, Prof Tanko Ishaya, lauded Plateau government for citing one of stations in the university.
Ishaya, who spoke through the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academics, Prof. Rahila Gowon, appealed to the NiMet to train some staff of the university on the management and maintenance of station.
The vice-chancellor also appealed to NiMet to establish one of its centres of excellence in the institution.
“Since you have a centre of excellence in Katsina and Lagos, let University of Jos house the one for the North-Central zone.
“We can house it through our consultancy or through our Geography Department so that you can train personnel for NiMet.
“We also want you to accommodate our students under the Students’ Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) in NiMet.
“It could either be students from University of Jos, Federal College of Education, Pankshin, or College of Agriculture, Garkawa, where you have your weather stations,’’ he said.
Ishaya requested for some NiMet staff members to be visiting scholars to the university, as some of the courses relevant to the agency were being taught at the institution.
The Provost of the College of Pankshin, Dr Amos Cirfat, who could not hide his joy, thanked Gov. Simon Lalong for identifying the institution to benefit from huge project saying, “Lalong’s has rescued us in so many ways right from the inception of his administration.
