Abuja earth tremor: Alake urges calm, orders hourly seismic updates
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, has urged residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to remain calm following the earth tremor that shook parts of Abuja, directing the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA) to provide him with hourly updates on seismic activities.
Alake, who is in Washington DC, United States, engaging American investors on joint venture opportunities in Nigeria’s solid minerals sector, said the NGSA had also been instructed to escalate developments to relevant agencies where necessary.
The minister’s directive followed an alert from the NGSA, which reported that an earth tremor was recorded in parts of Abuja on Tuesday.
According to the agency, its Seismic Monitoring Station in Utako detected the tremor at 11:23:27 a.m., originating from a depth of one kilometre and travelling about four kilometres within five seconds.
The NGSA classified the incident as a “light event” of between I and II magnitude on the Mercalli intensity scale, stressing that it posed no danger to lives or property.
“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.
Alake assured residents that the government was closely monitoring the situation and had put proactive measures in place to safeguard lives and property.
He urged residents of the FCT to go about their normal activities without fear, adding that the NGSA would continue to monitor seismic developments and provide regular updates.
