By MARTHA AGAS

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Mr Dele Alake, has directed the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA) to provide hourly updates on seismic developments around Abuja.

Alake issued the directive following an alert from the NGSA that earth tremors affected several buildings in parts of the Federal Capital Territory on Tuesday.

The directive is contained in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja by the minister’s Special Assistant on Media, Mrs Lara-Owoeye-Wise.

Alake, currently in Washington, D.C., engaging American investors on mining joint ventures, urged residents to remain calm and continue their normal activities.

He said government agencies had activated proactive measures to safeguard lives and property while closely monitoring developments across affected locations.

“Residents should go about their lawful activities without anxiety. Necessary measures have been deployed to ensure public safety,” the minister said.

Alake instructed the NGSA to submit hourly situation reports directly to him for continuous assessment and possible escalation to relevant authorities.

He assured residents that the agency would maintain surveillance of seismic activities and provide timely information as circumstances required.

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 one kilometre and propagated over a distance of four kilometres within five seconds.

NGSA, however, classified the occurrence as a light seismic event, measuring between I and II on the Mercalli intensity scale.

The agency said available data indicated no immediate cause for alarm but stressed the need for sustained monitoring and public awareness.

The development has heightened attention on seismic surveillance capabilities, with authorities pledging continued vigilance and rapid response to emerging risks. (NAN, but headline reworked)