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By Sunday Ani
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has rated the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) as one of the best performing institutions in the country, with a mark of 82.65 percent on its Ethics and Integrity Compliance Scorecard (EICS) for 2025.
This makes NiMet the first and only agency in the aviation sector to receive this category of ranking and recognition as contained in a letter from the ICPC on December 29, 2025.
The letter ranked NiMet among the top 10 out of 344 MDAs that were assessed nationwide. It added that the agency also made ‘substantial compliance,’ emerging 11th out of 356 MDAs on the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit (ACTU) Effectiveness Index (AEI) where it garnered 82.50 percent.
The letter also noted that by this performance, NiMet has earned a ‘very effective’ status for its ACTU.
Available records show that the ICPC’s EICS evaluation was based on key pillars of management culture and structure, financial management systems, administrative systems and the effectiveness of ACTU, which affirm the strength of the Agency’s compliance framework, governance mechanisms and the effectiveness of its operational systems.
According to the letter by the Chairman of the ICPC, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, NiMet was commended for the structures and processes it has put in place to promote efficiency and integrity, while its management was encouraged to sustain the standard achieved to ensure consistency in ratings and continued improvement in service delivery.
Reacting to latest rating, the Director General/CEO of NiMet, Professor Charles Anosike, welcomed the development, saying it was rather a challenge for him and the management of the agency to do more. He said NiMet remains committed to upholding the principles of transparency, accountability and professionalism in the discharge of its mandate and would continue to strengthen its institutional processes in line with national integrity standards.
In 1968, a prolific Ghanaian author and poet, Ayi Kwei Armah, wrote that masterpiece, titled, ‘The Beautiful Ones are Not Yet Born.’ While many, out of generations of literature students saw the work of fiction as a love story, the author was actually lamenting the absence of committed, disciplined and selfless leaders in his country, and by extension, Africa. Back home, Nigeria has had more than a fair share of ugly ones; kindred of unserious, greedy and corrupt leaders without idea of how to positively impact the lives of the people they were meant to serve.
But, as they say in Nigeria, much water has passed under the bridge and change is here. Today, there are many well-educated, well-informed professionals serving as chief executive officers, both in the private and public sectors, that have deployed their intellectual capacities, to transform organisations entrusted in their care. Prof. Charles Anosike is one of them.
When he assumed office as the CEO of NiMet in December 2023, he was confronted with several institutional challenges, including lack of leadership drive, slow and ineffective migration to modern technologies and a demoralised workforce that were denied series of entitlements and claims.
Within two years, he has combined several ‘Cs’ of leadership, comprising competence, courage, consistency, commitment, character, communication and clarity to chart a new route of goal-setting and achievements for the organisation. He has also leveraged digital innovations and forged strategic partnerships with local and international institutions to close critical gaps and achieve remarkable milestones for the organisation.
His ability to draw strength from a twin-chain, including inspiration from President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda that hammers on providing best quality service to the people and submission to the strict supervisory approach of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has contributed to the massive achievements recorded by NiMet’s management under his leadership.
Today, NiMet has witnessed series of transformations that have ensured Nigeria’s weather services are more accurate, reliable and impactful than ever before. The agency actively works with the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and other partners to improve communication of climate information to the public, as well as playing crucial role in supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by providing essential data to combat desertification and restore land affected by drought, thereby establishing itself as an authority with clear understanding that its responsibilities go beyond daily weather reports, to include long-term climate and environmental protection.
Identifying synergy with other organisations as essential to achieving set goals, Anosike’s management has signed partnerships agreement with sister government agencies, as well as universities and research institutions within Nigeria and across the world. He sees these collaborations as vital in building a climate-resilient society and mitigating the impact of extreme weather.
Among his most significant milestones is digitalisation of operations as NiMet has replaced its traditional manual flight folder system with an electronic flight folder, also known as e-flight folder.
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This cutting-edge tool provides virtual access to a comprehensive suite of flight briefing applications, including weather reports, to pilots and airlines, thereby facilitating informed decision-making and enhancing safety protocols.
As of today, NiMet has a world-class weather presentation infrastructure which Anosike’s management upgraded to 4K resolution. The transformative initiative was achieved in partnership with global technology leader, Chyron. The cutting-edge facility plays pivotal role in NiMet’s current weather presentation capabilities, and therefore, a critical milestone in the agency’s commitment to delivering world-class meteorological services.
The agency has also completed full audit of dilapidated infrastructure and ill-conceived projects, as well as unveiled the Aeronautical Meteorology Bulletin, a groundbreaking publication designed to promote a deeper understanding of meteorology in the aviation industry. The bulletin aims to empower airlines, pilots, air traffic controllers and ground services to anticipate and manage weather-related challenges more effectively.
Another area of pride for NiMet is the agency’s flagship product, the Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP), a vital early warning tool for farmers, livestock practitioners and other sectors of the economy, as well as the implementation of a co-production process, engaging relevant stakeholders in weather-sensitive sectors to craft informed, user-tailored weather forecasts. These forecasts are translated into Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo and Pidgin to enhance uptake and facilitate better planning and climate-smart decision-making.
The agency also successfully launched a centralised Secure Aviation Data Information Service (SADIS) Application Programming Interface (API) platform aimed at boosting aviation safety efficiency in Nigeria. It was part of the overall modernisation of the country’s aviation weather services with Nigeria becoming a trailblazer in Africa.
Recently, NiMet took a major step toward sustainable innovation with the deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) for airside operations across Nigeria’s five international airports, comprising Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt and Enugu. The development marked the first deployment of EVs in the nation’s aviation sector, positioning NiMet at the forefront of environmental transformation and operational efficiency, which aligns with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda on clean energy and climate resilience. The vehicles are capable of covering up to 200 kilometers on a single charge and are supported by dedicated charging stations at each airport.
Furthermore, NiMet and other stakeholders in the aviation industry concluded nationwide Quality Management System (QMS) engagement across major airports as part of efforts to strengthen service delivery, improve aviation safety and sustain its ISO 9001:2015 certification for aeronautical meteorological services.
Also, NiMet, Sahel, IRI and Gates Foundation launched ‘ENACTS Initiative’ to strengthen access to climate data. The event, held in Abuja under the Building Agricultural Systems Resilience in Nigeria project was financed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and featured a project review workshop with stakeholders across agriculture, health, water resources, blue economy and disaster management, among others.
NiMet was also part of an investor roundtable hosted by the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX) to commemorate the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) prepare readiness programme and strengthen partnerships and networking for agencies with similar objectives.
NiMet equally entered into partnership with the Kingdom of Morocco on AI-based weather forecast, early warning systems at an event where Anosike and his Moroccan counterpart, Mohammed Dhkissi, pledged to deepen bilateral cooperation between the two institutions, particularly in the area of AI-driven weather forecasting and early warning systems for enhanced climate resilience.
To further bolster its ICT capacity aimed at greater efficiency, NiMet entered a strategic alliance with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), with Anosike saying the goal was to foster collaboration and explore strategic areas between the two key government institutions which aims to enhance the credibility of NiMet’s services.
Simultaneously also, was the signing of MoU between NiMet Landmark University aimed at advancing meteorological research and deepening climate science education in Nigeria, which seeks to enhance the collection and analysis of climate data and support initiatives that promote environmental resilience and sustainable national development.
The standing ovations being given to NiMet at several national and international gatherings, as well as awards and accolades, are part of the various testimonies of Anosike’s bold footprints at the agency.
Within the past 24 months, he has received several awards including “Best Federal MDA in Open Data Excellence” by Nigeria GovTech Public Service Awards 2025 which also decorated him with the ‘Distinguished GovTech Trailblazer’s Award,’ ‘Aviation Sector CEO of the Year 2024,’ ‘the 2025 African Public Sector Leadership Impact Award’ for his transformational leadership, organised by the African Leadership Magazine at an event held in Casablanca, Morocco, where he was honoured alongside other dignitaries, including serving presidents of two African countries and the MD/CEO of First Bank of Nigeria Plc. The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) also honoured him with ‘Outstanding Mentorship Award.’
The emergence of NiMet among the top 10 out of 344 MDAs on ICPC’s EICS is a pleasant icing on the agency’s cake and a shouting testimony that a great future awaits NiMet and its staff, while at the same time, reinforces the hope of patriotic Nigerians that the land is truly green.
