The Federal Government has commenced moves to operationalise 112 as Nigeria’s single universal toll-free emergency number, directing relevant agencies to develop a comprehensive roadmap for its nationwide rollout.
The directive was issued by Vice President Kashim Shettima on Tuesday in Abuja at the National Emergency Number 112 Project stakeholders’ meeting.
The Federal Government also constituted a committee comprising the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and other relevant agencies to finalise the implementation roadmap and standard operating procedures for formal endorsement by the National Economic Council (NEC).
NEC had recently approved 112 as Nigeria’s unified emergency number to replace multiple emergency lines and improve citizens’ access to rapid assistance during incidents such as fires, road accidents, medical emergencies and security threats.
Represented by the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Senator Ibrahim Hadejia, Shettima urged the committee to develop the framework in line with global best practices and ensure clear responsibilities among participating agencies.
He charged members to expedite the process, stressing that funding would be made available once a workable implementation plan was established.
“Let’s make progress so that whatever time we have spent here is worth spending. And most importantly, the engine is finance. It is resources to drive the process. And I want to assure you that we will get the resources,” he said.
Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Rilwan Disu expressed the Nigeria Police Force’s support for the unified emergency number, describing it as a major step towards providing citizens with a simple and reliable means of accessing emergency assistance.
Disu noted that citizens facing armed attacks, accidents, fires, medical emergencies, kidnapping or other life-threatening situations often struggle to determine which agency to contact.
He said a single emergency number would enable citizens to make one call and be connected to the appropriate response agency.
Earlier, the Personal Assistant to the President on e-Governance in the Office of the Vice President, Mrs Lydia Aina, said Nigeria’s emergency response system currently involves multiple agencies, systems and jurisdictions, resulting in fragmentation in the way emergencies are received and managed.
She said the objective was to transition from fragmented state-level systems to a coordinated and eventually fully integrated national emergency response framework.
Aina identified governance, clear institutional responsibilities, standards and coordinated response mechanisms among the key priorities for making the 112 system effective.
Other stakeholders who pledged their support included the Director-General of NEMA, Mrs Zubaida Umar; Corps Marshal of the FRSC, Shehu Mohammed; and Director-General of the National Orientation Agency, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu.
The initiative is expected to streamline emergency response nationwide and provide Nigerians with a single, easily accessible channel for seeking urgent assistance.
