The Federal Government has begun moves to establish 112 as Nigeria’s single nationwide emergency number, directing relevant agencies to develop a clear operational roadmap for its full implementation.
The directive was issued by Vice President Kashim Shettima during a stakeholders’ meeting on the National Emergency Number 112 Project in Abuja on Tuesday.
A committee comprising the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Communications Commission, National Emergency Management Agency, Federal Road Safety Corps and other relevant agencies has been tasked with developing the implementation roadmap and standard operating procedures.
The final framework will be presented to the National Economic Council (NEC) for formal endorsement. NEC had earlier approved 112 as the country’s universal toll-free emergency number, designed to replace the multiple emergency lines currently operated by different agencies and improve response times.
Under the proposed system, Nigerians would be able to dial one number when faced with emergencies such as accidents, fires, medical crises, security threats or other life-threatening situations, with the call routed to the appropriate response agency.
Shettima urged the committee to draw from international best practices while developing the framework and stressed the importance of producing measurable progress.
The Vice President also assured stakeholders that funding would be made available once a workable roadmap and implementation structure were established.
“Let’s make progress so that whatever time we have spent here is worth spending,” Shettima said, stressing that adequate resources would be necessary to drive the project.
The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, expressed the full support of the Nigeria Police Force for the initiative, describing a unified emergency number as an important step towards giving citizens easier access to emergency assistance.
Disu noted that people facing situations such as armed attacks, road crashes, fires, medical emergencies or kidnapping should not have to waste valuable time figuring out which agency to contact.
Lydia Aina, Personal Assistant to the President on e-Governance in the Office of the Vice President, said Nigeria’s current emergency response system is spread across several agencies, platforms and jurisdictions, creating gaps in coordination.
She said the objective of the 112 project is to move the country from a fragmented system towards a coordinated and eventually integrated national emergency response framework.
Aina said the committee had identified six immediate priorities, beginning with governance and clear responsibilities for participating agencies, alongside the standards and systems required to make the emergency number functional nationwide.
Other officials who pledged their agencies’ support included NEMA Director-General Zubaida Umar, FRSC Corps Marshal Shehu Mohammed and National Orientation Agency Director-General Lanre Issa-Onilu.
If successfully implemented nationwide, the 112 system could give Nigerians a simpler way to seek urgent assistance while improving coordination among the agencies responsible for emergency response.
