‘Earthquake may occur in Niger Delta’

‘Earthquake may occur in Niger Delta’

A UNIVERSITY teacher, Prof. Joseph Ebeniro, has stated that the Niger Delta region was susceptible to earthquake and charged government to sensitise the people on this possibility.
He said it had been discovered that there were some fracture zones in the Atlantic Ocean near the Niger Delta, which continental ward extension was not quite understood.
Ebeniro who teaches Physics at the University of Port Harcourt, stated this in his inaugural lecture titled: “Geophysics: A panacea for national wealth and safety.”
“Are we really immune to this natural disaster called earthquake? I will not stand here and tell you that Nigeria is indeed not vulnerable. Rather, I will request that our government should immediately harness our resources to start sensitising the populace of the possibility of such no matter how small in magnitude,” he said.
Ebeniro explained that what might occur could be a relatively small earthquake offshore.
According to him, if the earthquake occurs offshore and generates a tsunami, not necessarily the 40-metre water wave of Japan earthquake, it could cause some major damage in the Niger Delta.
He added: “As a matter of fact, the University of Port Harcourt is standing less than six metres above sea level. Just a 10-metre water wave will inundate the university. What then will happen to all the coastal region of Southern Nigeria from Calabar through Bonny,Warri to Lagos?”