Joseph Bakare
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Advocacy For Women With Disabilities Initiative (AWWDI), a Non-Governmental Organisation established to improve the quality of life of women living with various disabilities through advocacy.
The partnership aims at enhancing the availability of information on weather and climate to persons with disability in Nigeria.
Under the terms of the MoU, 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 disasters.
Speaking at the MoU signing, the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of NiMet, Prof. Charles Anosike said that the organization always seeks to include everyone including people with disabilities in its weather and climate information dissemination and other activities.
“I welcome the team from AWWDI to NiMet. The speed with which we reacted as soon as we received your letter leading to the signing of the MoU today shows that as an agency, NiMet takes social issues including issues affecting people with disabilities very seriously”.
Professor Anosike assured that the agency will integrate AWWDI into all its future programs.
“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”, Prof. Anosike said.
On her part, Mrs Patience Ogolo-Dickson, the Executive Director of the Advocacy For Women With Disabilities Initiative (AWWDI), thanked Professor Anosike for the warm reception accorded her team.
“I thank you for having this very wonderful MoU signing event. I want to say a big thank you for the way you spoke to us. That means a lot because it’s not in every organization that we get this kind of reception. You and your wonderful team welcomed us so warmly, and we appreciate you for that”.
Continuing, Mrs Dickson said; “The Advocacy For Women With Disabilities Initiative (AWWDI)
champions issues of women with disabilities. 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”
Mrs. Dickson appreciated the Disability Rights Fund for the support given to AWWDI and for funding the project centered around climate change policies, especially focusing on their implications for women and girls with disabilities.