Abstract

Nigeria is not situated where major seismic activities are observed in the world; but the country has experienced pockets of tremors comprising of magnitudes ranging from 4.3 to 4.5. The vibrations of the September 11, 2009 event with magnitude 4.4 and epicenter at Allada, Benin Republic, 128 km west of Lagos, Nigeria, was felt in parts of Ibadan and Ogun State, South-western Nigeria. In the same vein, an earthquake with body wave magnitude of 4.4 had occurred in Nigeria in 2000 and was recorded by some agencies like the International Seismological Centre (ISC). Most of the previous events occurred in South-western Nigeria where a major fault (the Ifewara-Zungeru fault), is believed to exist. Despite these events, effective monitoring for early warning is non-existent in Nigeria. With the obvious knowledge of earth’s dynamism, the need to adopt proactive measures on seismic hazard monitoring is being seriously pursued with the help of seismological and geodetic equipment. This paper examines prospects of integrated seismic hazards monitoring in Nigeria.

Key  words: Earthquakes, Ifewara-Zungeru fault, geophysical and space-based equipment, Nigerian National Network of Seismological Stations, integrated monitoring scheme.

Abbreviation

 ISC, International seismological centre; GPS, global positioning system; NNNSS, Nigerian national network of seismological stations; NASENI, national agency for science and engineering infrastructure; OSGOF, office of the surveyor general of the federation; CORS, continuously operating reference stations; ITRF, international terrestrial reference frame; CGG, centre for geodesy and geodynamics; NARSDA, national space research and development agency.