Abuja, Kaduna 3 other Nigerian states likely to suffer earthquake - NASRDA

- Seidu Mohammed, the National Space Research and Development Agency, calls on the federal government to do something fast to avert a big disaster from happening following tremors in parts of the country 
- Mohammed tells engineers to take cognizance of likely earth tremor when designing and constructing buildings - FEMA rules out possible earthquake as fear grips Abuja residents over multiple tremors The National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) on Thursday, September 27, warned that communities in Abuja, Kaduna, Ogun, Oyo and Bayelsa may likely be epicentres of major earthquake if precautions are not taken. Daily Trust reports that the director general of NASRDA, Seidu Mohammed, identified the communities as Mpape in Abuja, Kwoi in Kaduna, Ijebu-Ode in Ogun, Shaki in Oyo and Igbogene in Bayelsa state. Speaking on the sideline of an annual lecture in Abuja, Mohammed, who is also the chairman of the presidential committee on the Abuja tremor, said an earthquake in the country was likely as the erstwhile inactive faults system in the country are gradually becoming active. He called on the federal government to do something fast to avert a big disaster from happening as a number of tremors recorded in parts of the country was a cause of concern. 
Citing a 100 year-old data done by the members of the presidential committee on Abuja tremor, Mohammed said the data showed that Mpape in Abuja is a hotspot which is highly susceptible to earth tremor and other earth shakeups. “What it means is that we need a thorough study across the country to identify such hotspots so that we can constantly monitor them from satellite system and from data from outer space," he said. ‘’More than 330 metric tonnes of water being taken out every day in Abuja is causing a vacuum; is straining the earth.
The director general of NASRDA called on the federal government check indiscriminate drilling of boreholes and noted that engineers should now take cognizance of likely earth tremor when designing and constructing buildings. Meanwhile, the Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has ruled out every possibility of an earthquake disaster in Nigeria following complaints of earth movement in the FCT. The agency in a statement released on Thursday, September 6, said the earth shaking could be as a result of earth tremors; a sign of seismic movement within the earth which can be caused by sudden breaks along a fault line releasing energy that cause the shakings. It also said that the movement could also have been caused by stress in underground rocks due to blasting and mining activities in an area.