By MARTHA AGAS

The Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA) says no structural damage was recorded when earth tremor occurred in parts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Aug. 4.

The Director-General of NGSA, Prof. Segun Ige, said this at a news conference organised by the agency on Thursday in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the tremor affected the logistics unit of the Defence Intelligence Agency, Mambila Barracks, Asokoro, part of NNPC Towers and some buildings in the Central Business District.

The NGSA Seismic Monitoring Station in Utako detected the tremor, which originated from a depth of one kilometre and propagated over four kilometres within five seconds, classifying it as a light seismic event.

Ige said the agency’s monitoring team assessed the affected buildings and found no evidence of structural damage or injury.

“NGSA maintains that the very low magnitude and isolated nature of the tremor makes it a micro-event.

“It lacked the required energy to damage building foundations, cause cracks on walls or trigger secondary hazards as being envisaged by communities or people around.

“It, therefore, posed no threats to life and properties except for the discomfort of the shake,” he said.

Ige said that the NGSA had five seismic monitoring stations located at the University of Abuja, Gwagwalada; Nasarawa State University, Keffi; Veritas University, Bwari; and the NGSA headquarters in Utako.

He listed other locations to include Kaduna and Ilorin, but decried the inadequate number of monitoring stations required for effective monitoring.

The NGSA boss commended President Bola Tinubu for his commitment to repositioning the solid minerals sector and the efforts of the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, in driving reforms.

He, however, said more funding was needed to strengthen the agency’s monitoring capacity, and gave necessary recommendations to address repeated occurrences of tremors in the country

“The government should expand the NGSA monitoring station with adequate logistics such as funding and other infrastructures for effective monitoring and computation of accurate results.

“We have come to understand that the more monitoring stations we have, the better the resolution of the results and the faster we receive information, especially when they are located in areas prone to such occurrences.

“We want the Minister of Solid Minerals to mandate all major quarry and mine operators to install seismic monitoring meters at their operation sites to complement the government monitoring stations,” he said.

He also advised relevant government agencies to issue “Notice of mandatory Application” for structural configuration data from NGSA before siting major infrastructure such as dams, bridges, rail lines, airports and skyscrapers.

The NGSA boss emphasised the importance of certifying the condition of soil or rocks on which infrastructure would be erected and urged the Federal Government to empower the agency to certify geotechnical and geological reports.

“It will also let us know structures that will be susceptible to tremor and those that will be resistant to tremor,” he said.

He recommended adequate maintenance of infrastructure, periodic reports to relevant agencies and stronger enforcement of seismic building codes for heavy infrastructure and industrial projects in Abuja and other cities.

According to him, construction companies should build homes and offices with strong steel and reinforced concrete, while firmly bolting roofs and frames to the foundation.

Ige also called for capacity building for NGSA staff on new technologies for accurate data management and efficient responses to tremors and related environmental hazards.

He stressed the importance of public education on standard earthquake safety protocols.

He urged residents who observe unusual ground vibrations or have concerns relating to seismic activity to contact the NGSA emergency line on 09139442811. (NAN)

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