Fear gripped parts of Abuja on Tuesday after residents felt buildings shake in what was described as an earth tremor, prompting the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, to order hourly updates on seismic activities across the Federal Capital Territory.
Alake, however, moved to calm anxious residents, assuring them that there was no reason to panic and urging them to continue with their normal activities.
The minister directed the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency, NGSA, to monitor the situation closely and provide him with hourly reports for possible further action.
The directive was disclosed in a statement issued on Wednesday by his Special Assistant on Media, Lara Owoeye-Wise.
Alake, who is currently in Washington, D.C., United States, where he is engaging American investors over joint venture opportunities in Nigeria’s solid minerals sector, also instructed the agency to escalate its reports to other relevant government authorities if necessary.
The minister’s directive followed an alert from the NGSA after its monitoring station in Utako detected the tremor at exactly 11:23:27 a.m. on Tuesday, August 4.
According to the agency, the tremor originated from a depth of about one kilometre and travelled roughly four kilometres within five seconds.
The NGSA classified the incident as a very light seismic event, measuring between I and II on the Mercalli intensity scale.
The agency explained that the tremor was a shallow, surface-level event and did not pose a threat to lives or property, although the sudden shaking could cause discomfort and trigger fears of possible destruction.
Despite the scare, the agency said there was no indication of an immediate danger to residents or infrastructure.
Nigeria generally records little significant seismic activity, although occasional earth tremors have been reported in Abuja and neighbouring states over the years.
Experts have also maintained that most tremors recorded in the country have been relatively weak and have not posed any major threat to lives or infrastructure.
For now, authorities are keeping a close watch on the situation as the NGSA continues its monitoring and hourly reporting to the minister.
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