Nigeria: Weather Forecasts - Govt Directs Pilots to Comply - AllAfrica.com

Onyebuchi EzigboAbuja

The Federal Soldier Government have directed all airplane pilots and air hoses operating in the state to accede strictly to endure prognoses issued by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NMA).

Government's order came just as the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) at the weekend inaugurated a weather condition prognosis equipment, Metosat Second Coevals (MSG-2) artificial satellite receiver, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Capital Of Nigeria at N118 million.

THISDAY gathered from a beginning at the Ministry of Conveyance that the direction of the Federal Soldier Republic Of Federal Republic Of Federal Republic Of Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) have been mandated to strictly supervise the trading trading operations at the airdromes to guarantee that airplane airplane airplane pilots and air hose operators confer with with NIMET Weather Prognosis business offices before take-off of any aircraft.

The directive to pilots, it was gathered, is portion of government's attempt to refocus the operations of the air power sector in order to ran into the International Civil Aviation Organisation's criterion (ICAO) on air travel.

Minister of State for Air Transportation, Mr. Felix Hyat, at the inauguration, warned pilots to take the information emanating from NIMET Weather Office very seriously and utilise it.

He said the weather condition condition condition condition condition equipment was among the four such as as installations procured and successfully installed at four international airdromes - Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt and Kano - by NIMET.

Contract for the procurance and installing of the air safety installation was awarded in 2007 to Gamji Nigeria Limited to be completed within a year.

Hyat said the equipment would help to a great extent in providing more than accurate weather prognoses that would heighten air power safety in the country.

"This is one the respective attempts of authorities towards providing state-of-the-art safety critical meteoric equipment for the air power industry in conformity with International Civil Aviation Arrangement (ICAO) requirements," he said.

The Director-General of NIMET, Dr. Antony Anuforom, said with the monosodium glutamate receiver, weather predictors in the federal agency would be able to entree assorted meteoric merchandises derived from Meteosat, which is a geostationary artificial satellite operated by the European Space Agency (ESA).

The DG, who took the curate on an review circuit of the facility, said the equipment would enable the predictor to observe and offering early warning information on at hand weather jeopardies such as electrical storms and dust plumes.

Hyat said blessings had been given for NIMET to procure and put in additional equipment during the twelvemonth to further heighten air conveyance safety in the country.

According to him, the equipment mapped out for acquisition included Christian Johann Doppler weather radar, low-level wind shear qui vive systems and electrical storm sensing systems.

The curate said the Federal Government was considering a safe, unafraid and efficient air power sector as very critical to the accomplishment of Nigeria's economical development vision otherwise tagged 'Vision 2020'.

Hyat noted that portion of the new doctrine of authorities was the bringing of undertakings as and when due.

He said: "Aviation undertakings trade with the safety of human beingnesses not animals. One cannot afford to plaything with such as undertakings that touching on human lives."

He said President Umaru Genus Musa Yar'Adua is taking air safety improvement very serious, adding that one thing authorities have been able to realise is the present modern doctrine of administration and timely executing of projects.

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The minister, however, said for the installation to be of huge benefit to the air power sector, all stakeholders must purchase into the services of the weather condition prognosis equipment.

"I take it the applied scientists and the predictors in the Meteorological Agency will manage the occupation entrusted on them through the executing of this undertaking as a trust by the authorities and people of Nigeria. All the end users, in peculiar the airplane airplane pilots should take the information emanating from NIMET weather condition condition business office very seriously and utilise it for what is meant for".

He said the installation was not meant for NIMET or the pilots alone but for all the travelling members of the public who might necessitate to have got some flight counsel as respect the weather situation.