The Federal Government has moved to accelerate the nationwide rollout of 112 as Nigeria’s single emergency number, directing key agencies to develop a comprehensive operational roadmap for its implementation.
A committee comprising the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and other relevant agencies has been constituted to finalise the roadmap and standard operating procedures.
The framework will be submitted to the National Economic Council (NEC) for formal endorsement.
The development was disclosed on Tuesday in a statement by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President.
The NEC had recently approved 112 as Nigeria’s universal toll-free emergency number, replacing fragmented emergency lines and creating a single access point for citizens seeking help during fires, road accidents, medical crises, security incidents and other emergencies.
Speaking at the National Emergency Number 112 Project stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja on Tuesday, Vice President Kashim Shettima directed the committee to ensure that the implementation framework reflects global best practices.
Shettima urged the stakeholders to move quickly on the roadmap and standard operating procedures, while assuring them that resources would be provided to support implementation.
“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,” the Vice President was quoted as saying.
Inspector General of Police Olatunji Rilwan Disu also expressed the Nigeria Police Force’s support for the unified emergency number.
Disu described the initiative as “a significant step towards ensuring that citizens have a simple and reliable means of accessing emergency assistance.”
He said people facing armed attacks, accidents, fires, medical emergencies, kidnappings and other life-threatening situations often have to decide which agency to contact first.
According to him, a single emergency number would allow callers to access the appropriate response agency without having to navigate multiple channels.
Earlier, Lydia Aina, Personal Assistant to the President on e-Governance in the Office of the Vice President, said Nigeria’s emergency response system is currently spread across several agencies, systems and jurisdictions.
She said this fragmentation affects how emergencies are received, coordinated and handled.
Aina said the government’s objective is to transition from fragmented state-level systems to a coordinated response mechanism and eventually establish an integrated national framework.
The stakeholders’ meeting focused on the infrastructure and operational requirements needed to make 112 functional, including the people, agencies and standards required to ensure the system works effectively when citizens dial the number.
“Our job now is to turn it into an actual working programme with milestones. So, we have identified six immediate priorities. First, governance. We need a clear structure of who’s responsible for what,” she explained.
The Director-General of NEMA, Zubaida Umar; FRSC Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed; and Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Lanre Issa-Onilu, were among stakeholders who pledged their agencies’ support for the project.
Chronicle NG reports that the nationwide rollout of 112 is intended to simplify emergency access by giving Nigerians a single toll-free number for urgent assistance, regardless of the type of emergency.
