The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) will today install lightning and thunderstorm early detectors at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja, the Murtala Muhammad International Airport, Lagos, and the Benin airport.
The Director General of NiMet, Prof Mansur B. Matazu, stated this on Wednesday after receiving the equipment from the representatives of Earth Networks (EN), the equipment’s manufacturer.
The other airports to be installed include Sokoto, Kano, Maiduguri, Yola, Ilorin, Enugu and Port Harcourt.
The equipment were donated by Earth Networks, an American-based company, following a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NiMet.
As part of the MoU, NiMet received 10 automatic weather stations and 10 lightning detectors and their required accessories at no commercial value to NiMet for now. All of the equipment are at no cost.
“After the training today (Wednesday), by tomorrow (Thursday) we will get the equipment installed at the Abuja Airport, Benin Airport and the Murtala International Airport, Lagos. Afterward, we will install the remaining number of the equipment in other locations” the NiMet DG said.
Prof Matazu noted that NiMet and EN would collaborate to jointly deploy, and operate the NTLMAN and distribute data and derivative services within Nigeria. This partnership will lead to a wide base of internally generated revenue for the Agency with the provision of needed services to various sectors of the economy.
In his comments, the West African representative of Earth Networks, Jean Blaise, said the system could capture lightning into the cloud and to the ground in a very fast and efficient manner.
He also said that with the current climate change, all airports needed “this kind of system” to respond to adverse weather conditions swiftly to avoid disasters.
