The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, is leveraging meteorological data to drive investments into the state’s economy and boost economic growth, as part of efforts at building a total society that caters for the collective needs of all citizens.
The governor said this in commemoration of the World Meteorological Day, with the theme: “Climate Change and Water- Count every drop, every drop Counts”.
Obaseki said the state government is applying weather, climate and water information to improve the safety and well-being of Edo people, reduce poverty and improve public health.
He noted that climate, water and other related environmental services are useful inputs for socio-economic planning and development, which informed the decision to leverage available meteorological data to enhance the state’s decision-making process.
Governor Obaseki said, “As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to mark the Meteorological Day, it is imperative to identify the role of weather, climate and water information on planning and decision-making process.
That is why in Edo State, we are committed to building capacity and leveraging meteorological data in attracting investment to grow our economy.
“As part of our commitment to weather and climate, meteorology weather stations have been installed at the University of Benin (UNIBEN) and the Edo State Polytechnic, Usen, in partnership with the Nigeria Meteorology Agency (NiMET), to strengthen teaching and research in environmental sciences and climate change. The institutions have also concluded plans to commence programmes in meteorology and climate change.”
The governor added, “We have the Centre of Geospatial Information Science (CGIS) at the Edo State polytechnic to attend to uses of geospatial science. Specifically, we have been applying weather data to boost farming and economic development, while also utilising mapping and geoinformatics for informed siting of social amenities across the state.
“These have aided our administration’s efforts at building a total society that caters for the collective needs of all Edo citizens, ensuring an even spread of rural and urban development across the state.”
The World Meteorological Day is celebrated every year on 23 March by the United Nations and its sister organisations to commemorate the entry into force in 1950 of the convention that created the World Meteorological Organization. The day also highlights the contribution that National Meteorological and Hydrological Services make to the safety and well-being of society.
