The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has said that weather and climate information are necessary for national infrastructure, not just for the aviation industry, but for every sphere of the nation’s economy.

Keyamo, who spoke yesterday in Lagos at the 2026 yearly meeting of the Alliance for Hydromet Development, hosted by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), said reliable weather forecasts and early warning systems were indispensable to protecting lives, safeguarding investments and strengthening Nigeria’s resilience to climate-related hazards.

Keyamo maintained that the importance of NiMet extended beyond routine weather forecasting. He noted that its services were central to flight operations, agriculture, disaster risk reduction and other climate-sensitive sectors of the economy.

According to him, the Federal government, under President Bola Tinubu, recognised NiMet’s services as public goods and strategic national assets. He added that strengthening the agency’s technical, institutional and operational capacity remained a priority for the government.

He said: “Hydrometeorological development and operation are closely linked, as safe and efficient flight operations depend heavily on accurate weather, water and climate.

“NiMet’s contribution to aviation is a matter of life and death. So, accurate meteorological information is necessary for safe flight operations and helps airlines and airports manage weather-related disruptions.

“So, the government has improved the welfare package of NiMet staff as part of efforts to strengthen service delivery. Staff motivation is critical to the effective discharge of the agency’s responsibilities.”

Keyamo further commended NiMet‘s institutional strengthening, digital transformation and innovation initiatives, noting that its 2026–2030 strategic plan provided a framework for improving service delivery and contributing to national development.

The minister said Nigeria needed to move away from a predominantly reactive approach to disaster management towards anticipatory action, in which scientific forecasts and early warnings informed preventive measures before hazards developed into disasters.

He cited the establishment of the anticipatory action task force on flooding in 2025 and the contribution of NiMet’s seasonal climate predictions to national preparedness and planning as important steps towards this objective.

According to him, the effectiveness of weather observations, forecasts and early warning systems depended on adequate financing, sustained infrastructure investment and stronger collaboration among government institutions, development partners and the private sector.

Besides, the minister disclosed that the Federal government was pursuing different mechanisms to mobilise domestic and international climate finance, including the Nigerian Climate Investment Platform, which targets $500 million for climate-resilient infrastructure, adaptation and related policy priorities.

Also speaking, the representative of the Lagos State Governor and Special Adviser on Maritime and Blue Economy, Oluwadamola Emmanuel, called for increased investment in weather forecasting, early warning systems and resilient infrastructure to protect economic activities and communities from climate-related disasters.

Emmanuel said the economic and social consequences of inadequate preparedness could be severe, particularly in Lagos, a coastal megacity and Nigeria’s commercial hub that faces recurring exposure to flooding and intense rainfall.

He said weather, water and climate services should no longer be treated solely as environmental concerns, but as essential investments in economic development, public safety and resilience.

He said: “Often, the difference between a manageable risk and a devastating disaster is access to timely information and our ability to act on it.

“The 2022 floods in Nigeria, for instance, displaced more than 2.4 million people, claimed over 700 lives and caused an estimated $8.4 billion in damage. This is evidence of the consequences of climate-related disasters.”