The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, has directed the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA) to provide him with hourly updates on seismic activities around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) following Tuesday’s earth tremor in parts of Abuja.
Residents of several parts of Abuja reported experiencing mild tremors on Tuesday morning, prompting concern on social media and calls for official clarification.
Alake urged residents to remain calm and continue with their normal activities, assuring them that the tremor posed no threat to lives or property.
The directive was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Minister’s Special Assistant on Media, Lara Owoeye-Wise.
According to the statement, the minister, who is in Washington, D.C., United States, engaging American investors on joint venture proposals in the solid minerals sector, instructed the NGSA to submit regular reports for his review and possible escalation to other relevant government agencies.
The minister’s response followed an alert from the NGSA that an earth tremor shook several buildings in Abuja on Tuesday, August 4.
The agency said its Seismic Monitoring Station in Utako recorded the tremor at exactly 11:23:27 a.m., noting that it originated from a depth of one kilometre and travelled about four kilometres within five seconds.
According to the NGSA, the tremor was a ‘light event of I to II magnitude on the Mercalli scale.’
‘This is a characteristic feature of a surface earth tremor that poses no threat to lives and properties except for the discomfort of the shake and fear of possible destruction,’ the agency said.
Nigeria rarely experiences significant seismic activity, although isolated earth tremors have occasionally been recorded in parts of the Federal Capital Territory and neighbouring states over the years.
Experts have consistently maintained that most of the recorded tremors have been of low magnitude and have not posed significant risks to lives or infrastructure.