The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has forecast thunderstorms and rainfall across several parts of Nigeria from Monday to Wednesday, warning that strong winds could precede thunderstorms in some locations.

The weather outlook, released by the agency on Sunday in Abuja, indicated that different parts of the northern, North-Central and southern regions would experience varying degrees of thunderstorms and rainfall during the three-day period.

NiMet advised residents to take necessary precautions, particularly in areas where heavy rainfall and thunderstorms are expected.

Monday weather forecast
For Monday morning, NiMet forecast thunderstorms accompanied by light rain over parts of Taraba and Kebbi states.

Later in the afternoon or evening, scattered thunderstorms with moderate rainfall are expected over parts of the North-East, Kaduna, Taraba and Kebbi states.

In the North-Central region, the agency predicted thunderstorms accompanied by light rain over parts of Niger State during the morning hours.

It added that most parts of the region would experience thunderstorms with moderate rainfall during the afternoon or evening.

For the southern region, NiMet forecast cloudy conditions on Monday morning, with isolated thunderstorms and light rain over parts of Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states.

The agency said thunderstorms accompanied by light rain would occur across the southern region later in the afternoon or evening.

Tuesday weather forecast
On Tuesday morning, patches of cloud are expected across the northern region, with thunderstorms and light rain forecast over parts of Taraba State.

By the afternoon or evening, NiMet expects thunderstorms accompanied by moderate rainfall over most parts of the northern region.

For the North-Central region, partly cloudy skies are expected during the morning.

The agency, however, forecast thunderstorms with moderate rainfall over parts of the Federal Capital Territory, Niger, Nasarawa and Plateau states later in the day.

In the southern region, NiMet predicted mostly cloudy skies during Tuesday morning, followed by thunderstorms and light rain over parts of Ebonyi, Enugu, Abia and the South-South states.

Wednesday weather forecast
NiMet forecast partly cloudy skies across the northern region on Wednesday morning, with thunderstorms and moderate rainfall expected over several states.

The affected states include Borno, Bauchi, Gombe, Kaduna, Adamawa and Taraba.
Later in the day, thunderstorms accompanied by moderate rainfall are expected over most parts of the northern region.

In the North-Central region, partly cloudy conditions are expected during the morning, with isolated thunderstorms and light rain over parts of the FCT, Plateau, Niger and Nasarawa states.

NiMet said thunderstorms accompanied by moderate rainfall would affect most parts of the region later in the day.

Across the southern region, cloudy skies are expected on Wednesday morning, while thunderstorms and moderate rainfall are forecast over most parts later in the day.

NiMet issues safety advisory
The weather agency warned that strong winds could precede thunderstorms in areas where rainfall is expected.

It urged members of the public to take adequate precautions, particularly by securing loose objects that could be blown away by strong winds and cause accidents.

NiMet also advised motorists to avoid driving during periods of heavy rainfall because of reduced visibility and potentially hazardous road conditions.

Residents were further advised to disconnect electrical appliances from power sockets during thunderstorms to reduce the risk associated with lightning and electrical surges.

The agency warned residents to stay away from tall trees during thunderstorms to avoid being struck by falling branches or trees weakened by strong winds.

NiMet also urged airline operators to obtain airport-specific weather reports and relevant flight documentation to support effective operational planning during the period.

The agency encouraged Nigerians to remain updated through its official weather forecasts and advisories as conditions may vary from one location to another.

The Chairman of Ukwuani Local Government Council in Delta State, Possible Ajede, has dismissed allegations that the state government interferes with funds accruing to the council.

Ajede made the clarification in a statement issued on Sunday in response to claims by a suspended councillor, Victor Chukwemeka, who had called on the council chairman to account for public funds allocated to the local government.

Chukwemeka had, during a live television programme, alleged that the Delta State Government was deducting funds meant for the local government while accusing Ajede of reckless spending of council resources.

However, Ajede rejected the allegations, insisting that the council had maintained transparency and accountability in the management of its finances.

According to him, the council regularly publishes its financial records and presents its income and expenditure before the legislative arm for scrutiny.

He said the records were also made available online to enable members of the public, particularly indigenes of Ukwuani Local Government Area, to examine how the council’s resources were managed.

Ajede said, “We in the local government have been accountable to our people. All the records of what we have done in the past three years are contained on the website.

“We publish accounts. Every year, we go to defend what we have received and what we have spent before the House. After we defend it, we are allowed to publish it so that everybody can have a view of it.”

The council chairman explained that the publication of the accounts was an additional transparency measure alongside the statutory requirement for the chairman to present the local government’s income and expenditure to the legislative arm.

Ajede also addressed the suspension of Chukwemeka, clarifying that the council executive did not initiate the action against the councillor.

He said the executive became involved only after the legislative arm formally communicated its decision to suspend Chukwemeka.

According to him, the suspension was a decision taken by the legislative arm of the council and was not imposed by him in his capacity as chairman.

The chairman’s comments came amid the ongoing exchange between the council leadership and the suspended councillor over financial accountability and the administration of Ukwuani Local Government.

The Kwara State Government has commenced a statewide cattle artificial insemination programme aimed at improving livestock breeds and increasing milk, dairy and meat production across the state.

The initiative, being implemented in partnership with Genex URUS American International Animal Breeding Company, commenced with 500 cattle in September, with the government targeting about 1,000 animals by the end of the year.

The Commissioner for Livestock Development, Oloruntoyosi Thomas, disclosed this on Sunday during the flag-off of the exercise at TGB Farms in Ganiki, Ilorin South Local Government Area of Kwara State.

Thomas said the programme was part of the government’s broader strategy to transform the livestock sector by giving farmers access to improved cattle breeds and modern breeding techniques.

According to her, artificial insemination would enable livestock farmers to improve the genetic quality of their animals while increasing their potential for milk and meat production.

“One of the ways to improve breeds is through artificial insemination. We are going to inseminate thousands of cattle across the state,” she said.

She explained that the programme had started with 500 cattle in September, while the state government was working towards reaching about 1,000 cattle before the end of the year.

“In terms of numbers, we are going to inseminate thousands. We are starting with 500 this month of September, but by the end of the year, we are hoping to reach maybe a thousand, and then we keep going. It’s a long process, but we are just starting,” Thomas said.

The commissioner disclosed that the animals had undergone synchronisation ahead of the insemination exercise, describing the process as necessary to improve the efficiency of the breeding programme.

She added that the initiative would continue beyond the initial phase as the government seeks to expand modern livestock breeding practices across the state.

Thomas also revealed plans to establish an artificial insemination centre in the Malete area of Kwara State.

She said similar facilities would subsequently be established in other identified communities to make artificial insemination services more accessible to livestock farmers.

The commissioner said the state government was also investing in human capacity development by involving students of Animal Production and youths from pastoralist communities in the programme.

“We need to ensure that we have our well-trained technicians—artificial insemination technicians—and that’s why we are involving our students from the University of Ilorin, the various tertiary institutions in the state,” she said.

Thomas explained that developing a pool of trained artificial insemination technicians within the state would help reduce the cost of the service, improve the synchronisation process and increase the chances of successful insemination.

The Director of Livestock in the Ministry of Livestock Development, Ahmed Umar, stressed the importance of cooperation among farmers, government agencies, technical experts and other stakeholders for the success of the initiative.

Umar expressed optimism that the programme could achieve an 85 per cent success rate, while urging livestock owners and other stakeholders to support the intervention.

“We want to develop this sector the way it should be developed by having improved breeds. This cannot be done alone. All stakeholders must come together to ensure success,” he said.

Also speaking, the Team Lead of Genex URUS American International Animal Breeding Company, Saka Shittu, said the programme was designed to improve the quality of cattle through the use of carefully selected semen.

Shittu explained that the immediate focus was on cattle, particularly with the objective of increasing dairy production, while the intervention could later be extended to other livestock.

“For now, the programme focuses on cattle; it will later be extended to other livestock. The essence of the programme is that animals are being inseminated with improved semen selected to boost dairy production,” he said.

He encouraged cattle owners, including pastoralists and smallholder dairy farmers, to participate in the scheme and take advantage of the free service being provided under the programme.

According to him, each farmer is entitled to have two cattle inseminated at no cost.

The intervention also provided practical training and exposure for students studying Animal Production, with participants drawn from the University of Ilorin, Kwara State University, Malete, and Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto.

The delegation at the flag-off included the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Livestock Development, Muhammed Yahaya;

principal officers of the ministry; officials of the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) and Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES), as well as students and youths from pastoralist communities.

The Director of TGB Farms, Ishola Peace, commended the Kwara State Government for selecting the farm to participate in the programme.

Peace said the intervention would give the farm an opportunity to benefit from the state’s livestock development efforts while contributing to the broader objective of improving livestock production in Kwara.

The state government’s artificial insemination initiative is expected to strengthen access to improved cattle genetics, support dairy farmers and contribute to the development of the livestock value chain as the programme expands across Kwara.