Shettima Directs NPF, NCC, NEMA, FRSC and Others to Finalise Operational Roadmap
The Federal Government has directed relevant agencies to develop a comprehensive roadmap for the nationwide rollout of Nigeria’s 112 national emergency number.
A committee comprising the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and other stakeholders has been constituted to finalise the roadmap and standard operating procedures for endorsement by the National Economic Council (NEC).
The development was disclosed in a statement on Tuesday by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha.
The NEC recently approved 112 as Nigeria’s single universal toll-free emergency number, replacing fragmented emergency lines and providing citizens with easier access to assistance during fires, accidents, medical emergencies and security incidents.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja, Vice President Kashim Shettima directed the committee to align its framework with global best practices and ensure significant progress on the project.
Shettima also assured stakeholders that the necessary resources would be provided to drive the implementation.
The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, expressed the Nigeria Police Force’s support for the unified emergency number, describing it as a significant step towards providing citizens with a simple and reliable means of accessing emergency assistance.
Disu said a single emergency number would eliminate the difficulty citizens face in determining which agency to contact during incidents such as armed attacks, accidents, fires, medical emergencies and kidnapping.
The Personal Assistant to the President on e-Governance, Office of the Vice President, Lydia Aina, said Nigeria’s current emergency response system was fragmented across agencies, systems and jurisdictions.
She said the initiative would transition the country from fragmented state-level systems to a coordinated and ultimately integrated national emergency response framework.
Aina said six immediate priorities had been identified, beginning with establishing a clear governance structure defining the responsibilities of participating agencies.
The Director-General of NEMA, Zubaida Umar; FRSC Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed; and Director-General of the National Orientation Agency, Lanre Issa-Onilu, among other stakeholders, pledged their agencies’ support for the initiative.