Nigeria needs to beware of earthquakes, expert says

Recent earth tremors recorded in parts of southwest Nigeria are warnings that the country has become seismically active and could experience earthquakes or other destructive natural disasters, according to geologist Femi Dada.

The tremors, which were not strong enough to be destructive, were recorded in some locations, particularly Ibadan, Abeokuta, Okuku, Akure and riverine areas of Ondo State on 6 November 1999 and 7 March 2000. Dada, who is the director of Nigeria’s National Bitumen Project, said at the weekend that these were indications that “huge sections of our country are becoming seismically active”, ‘The Guardian’ reported.

The area “starting from Ondo State, through most of the southwest states, looping under the Niger into Kaduna and the other northern states” is the most earthquake-prone, Dada said. He suggested a total overhaul of building codes in areas prone to earthquakes so as to minimise the damage they could cause.

The geologist said the claim that Nigeria does not fall into the world’s earthquake belt could not be geologically proved because its abundant deposits of oil and bitumen point to the contrary.