The Federal Government has commenced moves to activate 112 as Nigeria’s single national emergency number, with Vice President Kashim Shettima directing relevant agencies to develop a roadmap for its nationwide rollout.
Shettima gave the directive on Tuesday in Abuja at the National Emergency Number 112 Project stakeholders’ meeting, where the government constituted a committee to finalise the implementation roadmap and standard operating procedures for consideration by the National Economic Council (NEC).
The committee comprises the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and other relevant agencies.
The NEC had recently approved 112 as Nigeria’s single universal toll-free emergency number, replacing the multiple emergency lines currently operated by different agencies.
The initiative is aimed at eliminating fragmentation and bureaucratic delays in emergency response and providing Nigerians with easier and faster access to assistance during fires, accidents, medical emergencies, security incidents and other life-threatening situations.
Speaking at the meeting, Shettima directed the committee to develop the framework in line with global best practices and establish a clear roadmap for the effective implementation of the emergency number.
He also urged the stakeholders to conclude work on the roadmap and standard operating procedures for formal endorsement by the NEC.
“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,” Shettima said.
The Vice President stressed that the government was ready to provide the resources required to drive the initiative once the implementation framework was clearly established.
The Inspector General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, said the Nigeria Police Force fully supported the adoption of 112 as the country’s 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 Nigerians confronted with emergencies often face the challenge of determining which agency to contact.
“For a citizen facing an armed attack, accident, fire outbreak, medical emergency, kidnapping, or any other life-threatening situation, while the first challenge is to determine which agency to call, one number should provide access to the appropriate response,” he said.
Earlier, the Personal Assistant to the President on e-Governance in the Office of the Vice President, Mrs Lydia Aina, said emergency response in Nigeria currently involves several agencies, systems and jurisdictions, creating fragmentation in how emergencies are received, coordinated and handled.
She said the government’s goal was to move from the fragmented system to a coordinated and fully integrated national emergency response framework.
Aina said the focus of the stakeholders’ meeting was to establish the structures needed to make the emergency number effective, including the people, agencies and standards required to ensure that citizens receive appropriate assistance when they dial 112.
“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 said.
Other stakeholders who pledged the support of their respective agencies included the Director-General of NEMA, Mrs Zubaida Umar; Corps Marshal of FRSC, Shehu Mohammed; and Director-General of the National Orientation Agency, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu.
The Federal Government said the activation of 112 would strengthen emergency response, improve inter-agency coordination and make it easier for Nigerians to access urgent assistance through a single toll-free number.