Govt installs device to monitor quakes, tremors, retools agency

The Federal Government has installed an earthquake-monitoring device following the recent earth tremors in parts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Abubakar Bawa Bwari, who performed the exercise yesterday in Abuja, said the equipment would check earthquakes and tremors, adding that government plans installing similar devices in the six geopolitical zones for research on geo-thermal resources and other studies.

He added that field vehicles and two caliber drilling rigs worth N360 million had been procured for the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA) to overhaul its operations

Bwari said the acquisition was in line with government’s commitment for the growth of the sector as well as provide useful data for investors.

The agency’s Director General, Alex Nwegbu, had deplored the obsolete equipment in use for the past 40 years, stressing that the new rigs could drill up to 1.5-kilometre depth.

He also explained that the tools are adaptable and could be used for drilling of boreholes, as many mining companies seek these machines for their exploration activities.