No Structural Damage Recorded in FCT Earth Tremor, Says Agency

An earth tremor that occurred in parts of Nigeria's Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on August 4 caused no structural damage or injuries, according to the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA).

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

Prof. Segun Ige, Director-General of NGSA, stated at a news conference that the tremor affected several locations, including the Defence Intelligence Agency, Mambila Barracks, Asokoro, part of NNPC Towers, and buildings in the Central Business District. The NGSA's monitoring station in Utako detected the event, which originated from a shallow depth of one kilometer and lasted only five seconds. It was classified as a light seismic event.

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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.

Ige assured that the agency's assessment found no evidence of structural damage or injuries, emphasizing that the tremor's low magnitude and isolated nature meant it lacked the energy to damage building foundations or cause secondary hazards. He described it as a "micro-event" that posed no threat to life and property beyond the discomfort of the shaking.

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

Despite the minimal impact, the NGSA highlighted the need for enhanced monitoring capacity. Ige called for increased government funding and the expansion of its five existing seismic monitoring stations. He also recommended that major quarry and mine operators be mandated to install seismic monitoring meters at their sites to supplement government efforts. Additionally, he advised relevant agencies to require structural configuration data from NGSA before approving major infrastructure projects to ensure proper siting on stable ground.

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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.