ABUJA EARTH TREMORS AND MATTERS ARISING

There is a need to monitor all earthquake-prone zones in the country

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, has urged residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to remain calm following the earth tremor recorded in parts of Abuja last Tuesday. “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,” Alake said while also directing the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency to provide him with hourly updates on seismic activities around the nation’s capital for continuous assessment.

But we are concerned that this is becoming a frequent occurrence. For three days in 2018, the rumbling of the tremor sparked fears in the communities of Mpape, Katampe District, part of Maitama and some rural communities within the FCT. The intense trembling of the ground made many people to even ponder the option of relocation as they imagined the vibration was a sign of earthquake. Although the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA) and other emergency agencies have downplayed the likelihood of earthquake in Nigeria, the findings of the Presidential Committee set up by the federal government to assess the recent incidents are more revealing of the dangers we face, especially from human activities. The committee headed by the then Director-General, National Space Research and Development Agency (NARSDA), Seidu Mohammed had declared Nigeria prone to seismic hazards.

 The FCT tremor, therefore, is a wake-up call that there is a need to monitor all earthquake-prone zones in the country after previous incidents in Kwoi, Kaduna State; Saki, Oyo State and Igbogene in Bayelsa State in 2016. The 2018 geological, hydrological and geotechnical report for Abuja identified the underneath rock layers of Mpape to be already shifted, weak and bearing several fractures and faults system. For over three decades, the upland area has been exposed to unregulated drilling and blasting of rocks by quarrying companies and artisanal miners. “There is the need to regulate the exploitation of ground water resources of Abuja via indiscriminate sinking of boreholes because this has been the primary reason for the stress build up leading to the Abuja tremors of 5th to 7th September”, the presidential committee reported.

It is unfortunate that before the report of the presidential committee, we had basked in the illusion that Nigeria is not at risk of earthquake as the country is not the in region prone to earthquake or where such disaster could be expected to occur occasionally. Without putting in place the necessary measures, the safety of lives and resources will be imperilled if we continue to act as though tremors are an insignificant natural phenomenon that deserves little or no attention.

 Earthquake is a disaster that inflicts substantial human, material and economic losses, which many affected countries rarely recover from. It is in this regard that we warn of the consequences that will come from the lack of action to uphold the findings of the Presidential Committee. To avert earthquake, the NGSA should implement the laws criminalising indiscriminate mining, rock blasting and digging of boreholes across the country. The unrestricted activities highlighted in the 2018 presidential report can have damaging effects on the underground rocks and by extension the earth layers if left unchecked.

  We urge all federal and state emergency agencies to also organise safety trainings in communities across the country that are prone to tremors. It is important that they be enlightened on how to respond in the event of emergency, especially since such natural disasters often come without warning.