Tremors/Earthquakes: Alake commissions National Seismic Monitoring Station

In order not to be taken unawares by possible tremors, earthquakes and other earth movements, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, Tuesday, commissioned fifth Seismic Monitoring Station-5 constructed by the Nigeria Geological Survey Agency, NGSA, located at Katampe, Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja.

Alake, who commended the NGSA for the monitoring station, which makes five that the Agency had established, pointed that it is an indication that the Federal Government is ready to mitigate any possible outbreak of natural disasters, and also expressed readiness and support to establish and expand more of such Seismic Monitoring Stations across the country.

According to a statement signed by the Special Assistant on Media to the Minister, Segun Tomori, the minister congratulated NGSA and hailed its collaboration with the University of Abuja which culminated in the new station, which also the Minister noted that the facility signposts the present administration’s commitment to safeguarding lives and properties and ensuring the well-being of citizens.

“We intend to pursue the policy of making the necessary resources available to the agency to expand these stations to other parts of the country. Nature cannot be second guessed, neither can we predetermine with scientific exactitude when natural disasters will occur, but we can estimate when such incidents will occur and that will assist the nation in making contingency arrangements to mitigate the adverse effect of such disasters on the populace”, Alake asserted.

Meanwhile, earlier the Director-General of NGSA, Abdulrasak Garba, revealed that with the equipment in the Katampe Station, the agency can categorise movement and levels of tremors which would enable it alert relevant disaster management agencies about the potential of having a certain magnitude of earth tremors or earthquakes in Abuja and some parts of the country.

“Though we all know that Nigeria is not in an area that is susceptible to earthquakes, recent tremors in parts of the country show that there is a potential for Nigeria to have earthquakes.

“There have been incidences of low seismicity in parts of the country like Mpape, Maitama in Abuja, some parts of Kwara, Kaduna, and Saki in Oyo State. Therefore, the need to establish a network of active seismic monitoring stations to bolster our nation’s preparedness to manage any impending disaster cannot be overemphasised “, Abdulrasak added.

The Nigeria Geological Survey Agency (NGSA) is an agency under the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development with the mandate for providing relevant and up-to-date geological data necessary for development of the mining industry and the nation’s economy.