The National Space Research and Development Agency, NASRDA, has stated that Nigeria will witness an eclipse on Thursday, September 1, less than two weeks away.

A statement signed by Felix Ale, Head of Media and Corporate Communications of the agency, said the eclipse will be visible all over the country with different degrees of totality.

The highest degree of obscurity as a result of the eclipse is expected to be in the Southern part of the country, particularly in Lagos which is expected to have 80% obscurity.

The agency added that the lowest degree of obscurity would be about 45% and this would be observed in the northern part of the country, particularly in Sokoto

“The annular eclipse will be observed as a partial or near total eclipse across the nation with Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, expected to be about 60%”, the statement said.

The statement further stated that the annular eclipse is expected to occur between 7:15am and 10:03am with slight variations in actual timing across the country.

In Lagos, the first contact will occur at about 7:15am while the maximum eclipse will occur around 8:30am and will end by 10:03am, NASRDA said.

“The eclipse is expected to commence in Abuja around 7:17am, with maximum eclipse to be recorded at about 8:32am and the eclipse will end around 10:00am”, the statement added.
It noted that eclipse is not a spiritual issue but a natural occurrence that can be accurately predicted by science.

The agency appealed to the general public not to panic or adduce any mystical interpretations to the event, and advised that nobody should observe the eclipse with naked eyes.