BEYOND POLITICAL HAZARDS; THE ANGUISH OF ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS ON NIGERIANS- Oluwashayo Taiwo

Nature has smiled generously on our country. Ours is amongst the most blessed nations of the world. She's blessed in all diversity.

Mother Nature is simply just and fair to us in this part of the world. But if perhaps I am asked if we reciprocate the kind gesture, my answer will fall unequivocally on the negative line.

Our actions and efforts have been stressing nature beyond its calm confinement, without recourse for its consequences. We have caused nature so much quakes by our actions and inactions as a nation.

If she decides to fight back now or in the future, we might as well lose in the court of moral justice as much as many life and valuable properties might be lost.

Beyond the talk of politics, bad leadership and the antics of power brokers that have engrossed the time and energy of almost everyone, we must begin to pay sensitive attention to our natural environment.

Else, when we finally solve the problem of politics and bad leadership, the advent of environmental disasters will siphon all the dividends meant to be enjoyed by the people.

It is underlying for us to understand that the effects of harmful actions on the environment are unwholesome and we all are consciously or unconsciously responsible for it.

A disaster can be defined as an unexpected event that results to human casualty. Such as accident, flood or fire that kills a lot of people or causes a lot of damage to properties.

It may also be termed as “a serious disruption of the functioning of society causing widespread human, material or environmental loss which exceed the ability of the affected society to cope using its own resources.

In Nigeria context, despite the fact that the nation is excluded from the major seismic zones of the world; over the years, several minor earthquakes have been experienced in some parts of the country.

The first widely reported occurrence of an Earth tremor in Nigeria was in 1933. Other events were reported in 1939, 1964, 1984, 1990, 1994, 1997, 2000 and 2006.

Recently, another earth tremor occurred in the Miatama district of the Federal Capital Territory. This has given seismologist an impression that Nigeria is no longer an earthquake free zone.

“Studies in Nigeria have suggested and in some cases, confirmed the existence of earthquake-causing faults within the country. Whether these intra faults are active or not, is a big question yet to be answered.”

In a research carried out by Dr. Adepelumi Adekunle Abraham of the Department of Geology, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, he concluded that, among others:

“After the earth tremor of 2009 in southwestern Nigeria that was felt in several towns and villages in Oyo, Osun and Ogun states, a detailed short-term probabilistic earthquake prediction was carried out which suggested the probability of earthquake occurrence in the study area between the year 2009 and 2028 increased from 2.8 per cent to 91.1 per cent.”

The flagged area includes; Lagos, Port-Harcourt, Warri, Bayelsa, Cross River State, and Oyo State.

Several bodies, both local and international has been calling on the government to take proactive steps on curbing the possibility of the disaster.

The Nigerian Association of Water-Well Drilling Rig Owners and Practitioners (AWDROP) lamented that lack of Underground Water Abstraction Regulation in Nigeria could easily induce earthquake and sea water intrusion, “hence the need for government to ensure strict compliance in the implementation of code of practice in borehole drilling” in the country. Also, quarry work and blasting must be properly regulated.

To avert the looming disaster, the government needs to immediately acquire more recording and monitoring sensors, especially the short-period sensors specifically designed for local earthquakes recordings, seismicity and seismic hazards studies.

Also, seismic hazard assessment maps can be produced from available information on previous tremors and the distribution of faults in the country.

Such maps would indicate the likelihood and potential severity of future earthquakes based on the intensity/magnitude of previous recorded earth tremors in Nigeria.

Such maps are useful in anticipating future earthquakes and helping people plan for the event.

Conclusively, precautionary measures should be taken to prevent the level of devastation that could arise from the likely occurrence of an intense earthquake.

Those living in earthquake-prone areas must be sensitized on the geologic hazards of the areas where they live and work. Houses should be built in adherence to conventional building code that can withstand shocks and prevent their falling apart and or breakages.

Oluwashayo Taiwo is a social commentator / gifted writer @ Democrat Times Online