…Lawmakers say unified line will boost security, speed up emergency response
Calls or text messages sent to the emergency number will land at the nearest public safety answering point or control room for necessary secondary responses.”
By Ife Osemedua
The Senate on Tuesday pushed forward a bill that would establish a single, toll-free emergency number for use across Nigeria, ending the current system where states operate multiple hotlines for police, fire, medical and other crises.
The Bill for an Act to Establish a Nationwide Toll-Free Emergency Number for Reporting Emergencies Throughout the Federation was sponsored by Senator Abdulaziz Musa Yar’adua (Katsina Central).
Introducing the bill, Yar’adua said the proposal would overhaul Nigeria’s fragmented emergency response system and align the country with international standards.
“This bill seeks to provide for a nationwide toll-free emergency number that will aid the implementation of a national system of reporting emergencies,” he told his colleagues.
“The presence of multiple emergency numbers in Nigeria has been identified as an impediment to getting accelerated emergency response.”
He explained that while states such as Lagos, the FCT and Ogun operate several toll-free lines for police, fire service, ambulance, domestic violence, child abuse and more, the lack of a unified number leads to confusion and costly delays during emergencies.
The bill proposes 112 as the new national emergency line, or any other three-digit number that may be agreed upon during a public hearing.
Yar’adua noted that with nearly 90 per cent of Nigerians owning mobile phones, a single toll-free number would ensure that help is always just a dial away.
“Calls or text messages sent to the emergency number will land at the nearest public safety answering point or control room for necessary secondary responses,” he said.
The senator added that the system would require collaboration between the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), relevant agencies and mobile network operators.
In his contribution, Senator Ali Ndume threw his weight behind the bill, describing it as “timely” and “critically important” given the country’s rising insecurity.
“One of the challenges we are having during this heightened insecurity is lack of proper or effective communication with affected agencies,” Ndume said.
“If we do this, we are contributing to solving the security challenges and other emergencies we are facing in the country.”
He also urged Senate leadership to fast-track the bill so it can be signed into law and implemented without deladelyon his part, Senator Tahir Monguno stated that the bill is critical because the public needs a simple way to ‘report what they see.
He added that a unified number would strengthen national security by making it easier for citizens to give timely information to authorities.
“Our security community is always calling on the public to report what they see,” he said.
“There is a need for government to create an avenue where the public can report without any hindrance.”
Monguno argued that a single hotline would eliminate the confusion caused by multiple numbers and provide a direct, reliable channel for distress calls.
The bill passed second reading and has been referred to the Senate Communications committee for further legislative action.