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The Federal Government has directed the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA) to provide hourly updates on seismic activities around the Federal Capital Territory following earth tremors that affected parts of Abuja.
Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, issued the directive after receiving reports from the NGSA that the tremors impacted several buildings in parts of the nation's capital on Tuesday.
The directive was conveyed in a statement issued on Wednesday by the minister's Special Assistant on Media, Mrs. Lara-Owoeye-Wise.
Alake, who is currently in Washington, D.C., for engagements with American investors on mining partnerships, urged residents to remain calm and continue their normal daily activities.
He assured Nigerians that relevant government agencies had activated precautionary measures to protect lives and property while closely monitoring the situation in affected areas.
The minister instructed the NGSA to submit hourly situation reports directly to his office to enable continuous assessment and prompt intervention where necessary.
He also assured residents that the agency would sustain round-the-clock surveillance of seismic activities and keep the public adequately informed of any significant developments.
According to the NGSA, its Seismic Monitoring Station in Utako detected the earth tremor at exactly 11:23:27 a.m. on Tuesday.
The agency said the tremor originated from a depth of about one kilometre and travelled approximately four kilometres within five seconds.
It, however, classified the incident as a light seismic event, measuring between I and II on the Mercalli Intensity Scale, indicating that there was no immediate threat to public safety.
While assuring residents that there was no cause for panic based on available data, the NGSA stressed the importance of continuous monitoring and public awareness as authorities intensify surveillance to respond swiftly to any future seismic activity.
