Alake inaugurates seismic monitoring station in Abuja ‘to mitigate impact of natural disasters’

Dele Alake, minister of solid minerals development, says the federal government is committed to providing the needed resources for the expansion of seismic monitoring equipment across Nigeria.

Alake said this will boost the nation’s preparedness to mitigate the impact of natural disasters.

In a statement on Tuesday, Segun Tomori, special assistant on media in the ministry, said Alake spoke at the commissioning of the national seismic monitoring station-5 in Katampe, Abuja by the Nigeria Geological Survey Agency (NGSA).

The minister commended the agency for establishing the fifth monitoring station and lauded its collaboration with the University of Abuja which culminated in the new station.

The minister noted that the facility shows the current administration’s commitment to safeguarding lives and properties, and ensuring the well being of citizens.

“We intend to pursue the policy of making the necessary resources available to the agency to expand these stations to other parts of the country,” Alake said.

“Nature cannot be second guessed, neither can we predetermine with scientific exactitude when natural disasters will occur, but we can estimate when such incidence will occur and that will assist the nation in making contingency arrangements to mitigate the adverse effect of such disasters on the populace.”

In his remarks, Abdulrasak Garba, director-general of NGSA, noted that with the equipment in the Katampe station, the agency can categorise movement and levels of tremors which would enable it alert relevant disaster management agencies about the potential of having a certain magnitude of earth tremors or earthquakes in Abuja and some parts of the country.

“Though we all know that Nigeria is not in an area that is susceptible to earthquakes but recent tremors in parts of the country show that there is a potential for Nigeria to have earthquakes,” he said.

“There have been incidences of low seismicity in parts of the country like Mpape, Maitama in Abuja, some parts of Kwara, Kaduna, and Saki in Oyo state.

“Therefore, the need to establish a network of active seismic monitoring stations to bolster our nation’s preparedness to manage any impending disaster can not be overemphasised.”