The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has urged the federal and state governments to take strategic measures to protect human capital before, during and after climate shocks.

The director-general of NiMet, Charles Anosike, made the call at the 2026 International Conference of Bells University of Technology on Friday in Ota, Ogun.

The three-day conference, which began on October 7, ended on October 9.

The conference was organised by Bells University of Technology in collaboration with the DepeCOS Institutions and Development Research Centre.

It had the theme: “Harnessing Climate Action, Sustainable Food Systems and Human Capital Development for Well-being in Africa”.

Mr Anosike, who was the keynote speaker, said climate variability was increasing in Nigeria, with growing effects on agriculture, water, health, infrastructure and livelihoods.

He described the protection of human capital as both a social responsibility and an economic necessity.

According to him, climate services should guide anticipatory action in health, education and social protection.

He said health alerts could guide work-rest schedules and healthcare facility preparedness, while flood and disease forecasts could support the early provision of medicines and safe-water measures.

Mr Anosike added that school calendars, feeding programmes and learning continuity plans should reflect local climate risks.

He said skills development policies should prepare young people for opportunities in climate services, resilient agriculture, water management, renewable energy, data science, equipment repair, storage and sustainable processing.

“The government at all levels must lead, because no one agency can do it alone, as the community is the first responder before help arrives,” he said.

Mr Anosike stressed the need to make climate intelligence local, timely and actionable.

He said seasonal forecasts should be linked with sub-seasonal updates, short-range forecasts and impact-based warnings to support effective responses.

The NiMet boss warned that early warnings without timely action could lead to avoidable loss of lives.

He said failure to act on climate warnings could turn natural disasters into human-made tragedies. 

(NAN)