The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has successfully completed its re-accreditation visit to the Nigerian Meteorological Agency’s (NiMet) Regional Training School (RTC) in Oshodi, Lagos.
The WMO’s five-day visit, which concluded on Monday, was led by Dr. Paul Bugeac, the Coordinator of Learning and Development at WMO’s Education and Training Office.
Dr. Bugeac expressed his astonishment at the improvements made at the training facility, commending the efforts to enhance infrastructure and learning conditions.
“Things were really bad in the past, but I am impressed by what I am seeing now. The dedication of staff to maintaining the hostel facilities, ensuring power supply through solar panels, and providing modern amenities shows significant progress,” Bugeac said.
The WMO had previously received complaints about the school’s standards, but Bugeac praised the recent changes. He added that the RTC’s model could now serve as an example to other countries.
“With the new training courses offered and the ongoing commitment, we will continue our collaboration. The example of Nigeria’s RTC will be shown to others,” he remarked.
In response, NiMet’s Director-General, Prof. Charles Anosike, expressed his gratitude for the recognition, highlighting the agency’s recent strides. “What remains for our re-accreditation is only documentation. We are ready to submit the necessary papers. We have dedicated meteorologists at NiMet who are committed to excellence,” Anosike noted.
Anosike also pointed to NiMet’s dual recognition as both a WMO-accredited institution and a National Board for Technical Education (NBTE)-accredited body for offering diploma courses. He credited much of the agency’s success to the support of the Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, who has been instrumental in the transformation of the training school.