Deji Elumoye in Abuja
The federal government has set up plans to deepen engagement with governors and emergency responders on the adoption of 112 as the national emergency number across the country.
This was the outcome of a meeting between a delegation from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), led by the Chairman of its Governing Board, Chief Ibikunle Olorunnimbe, and Vice President Kashim Shettima, at the State House on Tuesday.
The development came days after the National Economic Council (NEC), chaired by the Vice President, approved the adoption of 112 as the national emergency number across all levels of government and relevant agencies.
The decision was part of measures to strengthen Nigeria’s emergency response system and build a unified, coordinated national response to emergencies.
The Council had earlier approved the establishment of a multi-agency implementation committee and programme coordination to be led by the Office of the Vice President and the NCC.
Addressing the delegation at the meeting, the Vice President directed that a roadmap be developed to ensure the nation adopts a single, unified emergency number, in line with global best practices.
Shettima further directed the NCC to collaborate with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), given the agency’s expertise in disaster management, relief, and rehabilitation across Nigeria.
He assured the delegation that the project would be sustained, noting that the required funding would be mobilised through the National Economic Council (NEC) and the private sector.
The Vice President also called for high-level engagement and commitment from emergency responders to drive the successful implementation of the 112 initiative.
Earlier, Olorunnimbe briefed the Vice President on the progress made toward the adoption of the 112 emergency number.
He informed the Vice President that the NCC, leveraging technology, has established about 35 Emergency Communications Centres (ECCs) nationwide.
Olorunnimbe thanked the Vice President for providing leadership on the initiative and for assuring the Commission that relevant stakeholders, including the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), would be engaged to support its implementation.
Echoing Shettima’s position, Olorunnimbe said the nation now needs greater commitment from governors across the country to provide the necessary support and maintain the infrastructure the Commission has put in place to ensure that the centres function optimally.
“In addition, we also need the full commitment of all the response agencies because if someone calls for police intervention and, for some reason, the call does not reach the police, that person will not receive the help they need.
“So, we need commitment at every level of all response agencies—from top to bottom—including the Nigeria Police Force, ambulance services across the states, and, at the national level, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
“Everyone is expected to buy into this initiative and recognise its importance. It is a patriotic duty to our country to ensure that anyone in distress can get the help they need in a very swift manner.
“Another aspect that really needs to be looked into is the welfare of citizens, like the cost of petrol, foodstuff, transportation, of course. We have all it takes. It’s just that we need to coordinate it,” he added.
