Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu: Minister of Science and Tech

The Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA) has established four seismic stations to monitor Earth tremor/quake in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Alhaji Abubakar Bwari, the Minister of State, Mines and Steel Development, made this known while inaugurating the NGSA earthquake monitoring command and control centre sited at the headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday.

Bwari said the four stations were sited at the Nasarawa State University in Keffi, University of Abuja in Gwagwalada, Veritas University in Bwari and the NGSA command and control centre.

“It is my pleasure to commission the NGSA Earthquake monitoring command and control centre at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja while expecting the completion of the other three stations within a very short time.

“This whole initiative could not have been possible without the excellent collaboration between NGSA and the three universities.

“They have volunteered to host some of our seismic stations and this gesture deserves our commendations,” he said.

Bwari said the high density seismic configuration from the station in Abuja would not only enable NGSA to quantify the magnitude of the tremors but would accurately locate the epicentre of tremors/earthquakes.

“The seismic configuration will also improve the predictive capacity of our network,” he said.

He said originally, NGSA designed six stations’ seismic monitors to be deployed across the country, however, following repeated tremors around Abuja, the initial programme of national deployment was adjusted.

According to him, the ministry will be conducting an airborne magnetic survey over Abuja to ascertain in greater detail the fracture systems that predispose FCT to tremors.

The initiative was as a result of inter-ministerial committee set up by the Federal Government to fashion out ways of tackling the challenge of earth tremors in Nigeria, following the recent tremor that occured at Mpape and Maitama.