Minna, Niger State capital, on Thursday recorded the first rainfall for the year 2022.
It was observed that the rain which started at 1.11 a.m. with lightening, thunderstorm and dusty wind, lasted for about 20 minutes.
State Meteorological Inspector of Nigerian Meteorological Agency, Mr. Pwajok Tok, said that the rain is known as Squally Thunders to“The isolated rainfall only marks the beginning of preparation of land for the wet planting season and not the commencement of planting.
“My advice to farmers in Niger state is that they should prepare their land for planting and not to start planting now.
“They should wait for the second week of April to May when normal rainfalls will begin,” he said.
Tok explained that the rainfall comes with environmental hazards, such that it would carry debris that were not dumped at designated places to block drainages.
He urged the Niger State Environmental Protection Agency to clear drainages in the urban areas to tackle the menace of flooding, when the rains begin in earnest.
The Inspector said that the NiMet prediction for the year 2022 indicated that the public should expect normal rains, referred to as the Long Time Conditions.
“In some regions of the country the rain will come in early April, while others will start to experience rain in late April.
“Also in some of the regions, rainfall will not cease on time towards the end of the rainy season,” he said.
Similarly, Alhaji Shehu Galadima, Chairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria in the state described the rain as a signal for the preparation for wet season farming.
Galadima urged the three tiers of government make inputs and implements available to support the farmers to enable them achieve their target of producing more food.
“This first rain is a signal for all the stakeholders in agriculture, including government and farmers to prepare for the season,” he said.
Mr. Onyinyechi Ahube, a resident of Minna said that the rain resulted to good night rest for the people because it cooled the weather.
“The weather used to be very hot at night prior to the rain and the current epileptic power supply worsened it, so with the rain, we slept well,” he said.
-NAN
