Vice President Kashim Shettima has ordered accelerated action on the deployment of 112 as Nigeria’s single national emergency number.
According to Leadership newspaper, the Federal Government has directed stakeholders to design a comprehensive operational roadmap for nationwide rollout. A committee comprising the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) was constituted to finalise the roadmap and standard operating procedures for endorsement by the National Economic Council (NEC).
Speaking at the stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja, Shettima urged the committee to base decisions on global best practices. He stressed the need for significant progress and assured that resources would be made available, stating: “Let’s make progress… the engine is finance… I want to assure you that we will get the resources”.
The NEC had recently approved 112 as Nigeria’s single universal toll-free number to replace fragmented, slow-response lines and eliminate bureaucratic delays. The initiative aims to provide citizens easy access to rapid help during fires, accidents, medical crises, or security breaches. IGP Olatunji Disu pledged full support, calling it “a significant step towards ensuring citizens have a simple and reliable means of accessing emergency assistance”.