Press Release

The Honourable Minister, of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Geoffrey Nnaji, has said that the Federal Government is ready to collaborate with Italy to harness the transformation power of Space Development so as to address critical national challenges in the country. The Minister said this when the Italian Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr. Stefano De Leo paid him a courtesy visit today, in Abuja. Nnaji stated that one of the challenges currently faced by the country is flooding in some parts of the Northern States, adding that proper assessment from the Space Agency revealed that the Loco-Dam in Cameroon has overflowed. He further clarified that the Ministry has taken advantage of Space Technology to enhance environmental protection and improve efficiency in Agriculture to prevent flooding and Herders and Farmers clashes in the country. He stressed that collaborating with the Italian Government during this critical period is apt to avert flooding as a result of climate change. To this end, the Minister commended efforts being put in place by the countries of the world to ameliorate the effects of flooding and its attendant challenges faced by many countries and then, urged African countries to work together to harness the natural endowment in the continent. Earlier, the Italian Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr. Stefano De Leo, said that the essence of their visit is to partner with Nigeria in Science and Technology through the transformative power of Space Technology and development to advance the socio-economic development of the Country. He further stressed the need for Nigeria to take its leadership position in Africa by harnessing both human and natural resources towards advancing technologically, to compete amongst the comity of nations.

The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Geoffrey Nnaji has urged residents of Mpape and Abuja in general to remain calm and continue with their normal activities. Nnaji stated that the Federal Government is processing and analyzing comprehensive datasets from its seismological and GNSS stations to provide relevant recommendations as well as the implementation of measures to mitigate the Seismic risk in the country. According to Nnaji @ChiefUcheNnaji September 16th, 2024, the Residents of Mpape a suburb of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) experienced another series of earth tremors, these tremors six to eight in total beginning around 11:00 pm with main shock occurring at 11:18 to 11:35 pm which caused a sleepless night among the residents of Mpape.Nnaji said this during the Ministerial Press briefing to address the recent Earth Tremors at Mpape Abuja and the imminent flood risk to southern Nigeria, today in Abuja. The Minister revealed that the Earth Tremors were captured by the Seismic station of the National Research Space Development Agency (NARSDA), an Agency of the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology (FMIST) in Abuja. He pointed out that Mpape experienced similar earth tremors between 5th and 7th September 2018 which drew significant local and international attention to increasing Seismic activities in the country. Nnaji emphasized that the recent earthquake, accompanied by loud noises and significant ground shaking, led to widespread panic among the residents of Mpape. In the same vein, Nnaji advised downstream states including Edo, Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers to activate all the necessary flood control measures in anticipation of any flood emergency.