The commissioned Administrative Block at the centre.

As part of efforts to mitigate the impacts of seismic hazards and earthquakes, the Federal Government on Thursday inaugurated the Centre for Geodesy and Geo-dynamics in Toro, Bauchi State.

Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, the Minister of Science and Technology, who inaugurated the centre, said that it would ease the monitoring of seismic hazards and mitigate the impact of earthquakes when they occur.

According to him, inaugurating the centre represents the Federal Government’s policy of  planning for, and securing sustainable development in the country.

The Earthquake centre inaugurated.

“Technological innovations play central roles in activities of all sectors of the economy; the science and technology ministry is focused on developing both its human and natural resources to bridge the gap between Nigeria and the advanced countries.

“The right vehicle towards achieving that aim is hardwork and right attitude towards coming up with positive results from painstaking research activities to help in holistic planning so as to secure lives and properties

“This centre is key to seismic hazard and related hazards monitoring and mitigation; it is key to the realisation of government’s policy on planning, security and sustainable development,” he added.

An Auditorium at CGG Centre

In his welcome remark, Prof. Saidu Mohammed, the Director General, National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), said that the centre would serve as a space-based geophysical tool that would help the country in global geodetic and geo-dynamical activities.

Mohammed added that it would also help in monitoring and predicting seismic activities and mitigation of their impacts through a well-fortified and integrated response mechanism.

He said that the positive and constructive stride was geared towards finding enduring solution to the perennial environmental disasters from natural sources.

A Seismic Network centre, Earthquake monitoring centre, an administrative block and an auditorium were among structures inaugurated by the minister.