The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Advocacy For Women With Disabilities Initiative (AWWDI) to enhance the availability of information on weather and climate to PWDs in Nigeria.
Under the partnership, NiMet will provide meteorological services for early warning of extreme weather phenomena to AWWDI in Nigeria.
The overall objective is to provide timely early warnings to vulnerable communities such as the disabled community, and improve their capacity to respond appropriately to climate disaster.
The Director General of NiMet, Prof. Charles Anosike said that the organisation always seeks to include everyone including people with disabilities in its weather and climate information dissemination and other activities.
He assured that the agency will integrate AWWDI into all its future programs.
Anosike noted: “I want to assure the members of AWWDI that the work of NiMet is integral to your survival in the face of climate change.
“I’m wearing these clothes provided by the First Lady today for a reason. It is a sign of unity. When we partner and work together, and it’s done effectively and people can respond appropriately, we build resilience in our communities. When we build resilience it triggers unity,” Anosike said.
On her part, the Executive Director of AWWDI), Mrs. Patience Ogolo-Dickson said the advocacy group champions issues of women with disabilities.
She said: “We focus first on the women and also on all the persons with disability because we are a general community.
“We decided to partner with NiMet because people are just talking about climate change and nobody is talking about the impact of climate change on our community, a community that is already struggling with so many issues, physical barriers, communication barriers, and all kinds of barriers.
“It’s time for us to have a voice. As people are talking about climate change, let’s begin to highlight some of these unique issues that have to do with the disabled community. We are just asking for inclusion because we are a part of a society called Nigeria that has citizens, including citizens that function in special needs. “