The Federal Government has announced plans to engage state governors and emergency response agencies to finalise the nationwide adoption of 112 as Nigeria’s single emergency telephone number.
The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Thursday by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications (Office of the Vice President), Stanley Nkwocha.
According to the statement, the decision followed a meeting between Vice President Kashim Shettima and a delegation from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), led by the Chairman of its Governing Board, Chief Idris Ibikunle Olorunnimbe, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Tuesday.
The meeting came days after the National Economic Council (NEC), chaired by the Vice President, approved the adoption of 112 as the country’s unified emergency number to strengthen coordination among emergency response agencies.
During the meeting, Shettima directed the NCC to develop a comprehensive implementation roadmap for the initiative and collaborate with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to improve emergency response nationwide.
The Vice President also assured the delegation that the project would receive sustained support, noting that funding would be mobilised through the National Economic Council and private sector partnerships.
He further stressed the need for stronger collaboration among emergency responders to ensure the successful implementation of the national emergency communication system.
Earlier, NCC Governing Board Chairman Olorunnimbe disclosed that the commission had established about 35 Emergency Communications Centres across the country but said greater support from state governments and emergency service providers was needed to keep the centres fully operational.
He urged governors, the Nigeria Police Force, ambulance services, NEMA and other relevant agencies to work together to ensure that people in distress receive timely assistance.
Olorunnimbe described the initiative as a national responsibility, saying a unified emergency number would enable faster and more efficient responses to emergencies across the country.
