THE ABUJA EARTH TREMORS

The tremors are another wake-up call

For four days last week, earth tremors sparked fears in the communities of Mpape, Katampe District of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). This should be another wake-up call considering that a previous geological, hydrological and geotechnical report for Abuja identified the underneath rock layers of Mpape to be already shifted, weak and bearing several fractures and faults system. While the tremors were blamed on human activities, the intense trembling of the ground made many to ponder the option of relocation as they imagined the vibration was a sign of earthquake. For over two decades, some communities within the FCT have been exposed to unregulated drilling and blasting of rocks by quarrying companies and artisanal miners. The shift in the tectonic plates, which leads to the sudden release of energy that causes the trembling on the ground, is a probable cause aside other human activity. 

Although the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency and other emergency agencies have downplayed the likelihood of earthquake in Nigeria, the findings of the Presidential Committee set up by the federal government to assess the September 2018 incidents were quite revealing. Headed by then National Space Research and Development Agency (NARSDA) Director General, Prof. Seidu Mohammed, the committee declared that Nigeria is now prone to seismic hazards while the possibility of an earthquake occurrence was elevated. They recommended a proper monitoring of all earthquake-prone zones in the country after previous incidents in Kwoi, Kaduna State; Saki, Oyo State, and Igbogene in Bayelsa State in 2016. Besides, the presidential committee reported the need to regulate the exploitation of ground water resources of Abuja via indiscriminate sinking of boreholes because “this has been the primary reason for the stress build-up leading to the Abuja tremors”.

Earthquake is a disaster that inflicts substantial human, material and economic losses, which many affected countries rarely recover from. A case study is when Port au Prince, the capital of Haiti, an impoverished Caribbean country, was hit by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake in January 2010. Besides killing more than 200,000 people, the massive earthquake destroyed the country and caused an estimated $14 billion in damage to private assets and public utilities. Unfortunately, we bask in the illusion that Nigeria is not at risk as the country is not the in region where such disaster could be expected to occur. Yet, without putting in place the necessary measures, the safety of lives and resources will be imperilled if we continue to deny that tremors are insignificant natural phenomenon that do not deserve to be worried about.

 It is in this regard that we warn that the findings of the 2018 Presidential Committee should not be downplayed.  The Nigerian Geological Survey Agency should implement the laws criminalising indiscriminate mining, rock blasting and digging of bore holes across the country.  These unrestricted activities can have damaging effects on the underground rocks and by extension the earth layers if left unchecked. In addition, the appropriate authority should install equipment that will gauge and monitor geological surveying methods across the country.

The Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON) has called for immediate safety checks on buildings, particularly in Mpape and surrounding areas. While the Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology, Uche Nnaji, had assured residents that the tremors posed no immediate environmental threat, CORBON stressed the importance of taking precautions to ensure public safety. Federal and state emergency agencies should therefore organise safety trainings in the communities prone to tremors and earthquakes on how to respond in the event of emergency given that earthquakes result in collapse of buildings, fire outbreak and motor accidents.