The Citizens Awareness Against Corruption And Social Vices Initiative, CAACASVI, has dismissed fraud allegations against the immediate past Director-General of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, NiMET, Prof. Sani Mashi.
There were petitions reportedly filed against Mr Mashi at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC.
But while addressing newsmen on Thursday in Abuja, the CAACASVI Executive-Director, Olumuyiwa Onlede, said these petitions were found to be lacking in merit.
According to the group, Mr Mashi’s tenure witnessed “tremendous improvement” in the area of modern infrastructure and a conducive working environment for NiMET employees.
The group noted that in the last 3 and a half years of Mr Mashi’s tenure, NIMET experienced massive infrastructural growth, including the provision of meteorological instruments in the enclosures nationwide, upgrading of infrastructure in Kaduna.
Others are improved wireless communication systems within and between observation stations and forecast offices, replacement of UHF radio receivers for stand-alone lightning/thunderstorm detectors in airports.
The group enumerated Mr Mashi’s achievements to include: “Upgrading of Meteosat second-generation satellite [MSG] reception facilities in forecast offices, installation of renewable energy solutions to ensure effective power back up in all stations.
“Replacement of analogue with digital anemometers in the airport and other stations nationwide, construction and equipping of the clinic at the RTC Oshodi Lagos, the first of its kind in the 65 years old history of the center, upgrade of integrated Aviation weather observing and display system in airports.
“Upgrade of upper-air sounding facilities with improved automated hydrogen generation system, establishment and equipping of numerical weather prediction and data management laboratories, installation of 102 Automatic weather observation station [AWOS] in the agency.
“Commissioning of weather stations in many universities at Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto, Bayero University Kano; not to talk of MOUs with not less than 100 Nigerian Universities to establish observation stations and renovation of NIMET offices nationwide and many more.”
