Ensuring Safety of Air Passengers

Chinedu Eze

Meteorology plays critical role in air travel, as experts insist that weather is a significant factor contributing approximately between 11 per cent and 23 per cent of global air mishaps.

In Nigeria, bad weather had contributed to some of the tragic air crashes in the country, like the Sosoliso Airlines Flight 1145 which crashed at the Port Harcourt Airport on December 10, 2005, killing 108 people.

In addition to pilot error, accident report indicated that the aircraft encountered severe thunderstorms, reduced visibility, and a microburst-induced wind shear during its final descent.

Also, bad weather played a role in the ADC Airlines Flight 053, which crashed on October 29, 2006 shortly after takeoff from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja with 96 fatalities. The crash was partly attributed to severe weather and wind shear conditions.

This brings to focus the importance of having accurate weather report, which is the responsibility of the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET). However, in the two accidents, it was noted that official reports and investigations indicated that the pilots decided to take off in the (ADC case) and land (in the Sosoliso case) despite known deteriorating weather conditions and warnings from the control tower advising against flight operations during the heavy rainstorm and bad weather.

These issues came up at the three-day 2026 Alliance for Hydromet Development Annual Meeting held at the Eko Hotel & Suites in Lagos, which ended yesterday.

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, in his opening remarks said accurate meteorological data remained critical in-flight operations because pilots depend on reliable weather reports to fly safely.

The minister said this would bring to the fore the crucial role the Nigeria Meteorological Agency plays in air travel and other sectors of the economy, including agriculture and maritime.

Keyamo emphasised that without precise meteorological tracking and timeous warnings, air travel would be fraught with severe hazards, delays, and catastrophic cancellations.

The three-day high-level international gathering, running from October 13 to 15, marked the first time an African nation was hosting the annual meeting of the Alliance for Hydromet Development.

“Without NiMet, we wouldn’t even be safe, we can’t walk, and that’s what leads to flight delays and cancellations. For us in aviation, NiMet’s services are a matter of life and death,” the minister said.

Keyamo further revealed that the federal government, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, viewed weather and climate services as strategic national assets and critical public goods, disclosing that in order to boost staff morale and improve service delivery across the sector, the government recently implemented an upgraded welfare package for NiMet staff, fulfilling pledges made upon his assumption of office.

He also highlighted government efforts to bridge climate finance gaps through the newly established Nigerian Climate Investment Platform, targeting $500 million for climate-resilient infrastructure and early warning systems.

The Director-General and CEO of NIMET, Professor Charles Anosike, alerted that Africa faced a gap in basic weather and climate data, holding roughly 30 per cent of the entire global observation deficit.

Delivering his welcome address, Anosike urged development banks, financial institutions, and private investors to urgently rally behind hydrometeorological infrastructure funding.

He emphasised that severe data gaps in developing nations actively undermined global forecasting accuracy at a time when climate risks are intensifying.

Pointing out the scale of the continent’s vulnerability, Anosike revealed that Africa possessed only about 12.5 per cent, one-eighth of the minimum weather station density recommended by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

Across 53 African nations, compliance rates for basic data exchange stood at a mere seven percent for surface land stations and nine percent for upper-air stations.

“Modernising weather and climate observation infrastructure requires significant capital investment because public budgets alone cannot cover the high costs of building, upgrading, and maintaining global and regional monitoring networks,” Anosike stated, calling for robust Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs).

He explained that in a vast nation like Nigeria, spanning over 900,000 square kilometers, the standard requirement of one station per 100 kilometers leaved extensive rural, agricultural, and border territories without standard monitoring coverage due to limited public funds.

Anosike traced NiMet’s historical evolution from Nigeria’s first meteorological observation post established 140 years ago in Akassa in 1886, through early colonial weather stations and the 1937 British West African Meteorological Services, to its statutory establishment as a full-fledged Federal Agency in 2003.

He reaffirmed that NiMet now served as the country’s authoritative regulator and sole provider across aviation, agriculture, maritime operations, and disaster risk management.

In the aviation sector, Anosike disclosed that NiMet has implemented the ISO 9001:2015 standard standard for aeronautical meteorological services across eight major hub airports, Abuja, Lagos, Kano, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Owerri, Osubi, and Yola, while working to extend certification nationwide.

He added that the agency’s 69-year-old Regional Training Centre (RTC) in Oshodi, Lagos, stood as the first WMO-accredited training facility in Africa to attain ISO certification, serving personnel across West Africa and the continent.

Beyond aviation, the NiMet chief emphasised the shift toward co-producing actionable climate products with users across agriculture, livestock, and the maritime sector.

Partnering with international organisations, AI developers like Tomorrow.io, and insurance providers like REX Insurance, NiMet is translating weather intelligence into practical guidance, weather-index insurance, and commodity market risk management tools.

He noted that in the blue economy, where adverse weather causes roughly 30 per cent of marine accidents, NiMet’s daily maritime forecasts with NIMASA and NIWA were crucial for vessel safety.

Addressing disaster management, Anosike stressed Nigeria’s active involvement in the United Nations Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative alongside other government agencies.

President of World Maritime Organisation (WMO), Dr. Abdulla Ahmed Al Mandous, in his speech, emphasised that Africa remained a powerful example of what alliance can achieve.

He said that in Nigeria, it was observable that there was inspiring regional leadership, noting that Nigeria helped to pilot the Country Hydro-Met assessment and has evolved from a benefit country into a provider of expertise, adding that recently Nigeria helped by supporting Burkina Faso as a peer reviewer.

“The economic benefit of Nigeria is amazing under the ECOWAS Hydromet

Initiative, investments in Nigeria’s weather and climate services yield an estimated return of 19 to 1. The next four years, leading to 2030, are critical. Extreme Weather is intensifying, yet many national services still lack the basic resources to deliver life-saving warnings and support economic growth. Through the UN Early Warnings for All initiative, our goal is clear: To protect every person on Earth with multi-hazard early warning systems. The Alliance plays a central role in achieving this and they are fully aligned with the upcoming WMO Strategic Plan 2028–2031,” Al Mandous said.

In a speech, the Special Adviser on Blue Economy to Lagos State Governor, Oluwadamola Emmanuel, called for the prioritisation of weather and climate services, describing it as fundamental investments in public safety and economic development, remarking that it is wrong to view meteorology as solely environmental issue and emphasised that it is more encompassing than that.

Speaking on behalf of the governor, Emmanuel noted that for a coastal mega-city like Lagos, reliable forecasting and proactive planning were essential to mitigate severe flooding risks and avoid devastating economic losses, recalling that Nigeria’s 2022 floods displaced over 2.4 million people and caused approximately $8.4 billion in damages.

The three-day event re-emphasised the important role NIMET plays in the aviation industry as well as other economic sectors, including maritime and agriculture.