Nigeria’s national emergency number, 112, has come under scrutiny after a live television demonstration failed to connect, despite assurances by All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain Alwan Hassan that the service was operational.
The incident occurred on Tuesday during Hassan’s appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he discussed what he described as achievements of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Hassan cited the emergency number as an improved public service designed to connect people in distress with relevant response agencies. He then challenged the programme’s presenter, Seun Okinbaloye, to dial 112 during the broadcast.
“Take your phone and call 112. Nobody knows about this. We used to hear it in America, 911. Call 112 now, put it on the speaker, and they’ll ask you what’s your emergency,” he said.
However, when Okinbaloye dialled the number, the call failed to connect.
“This number is not working,” the presenter said.
Hassan initially suggested that poor network connectivity might have caused the failure. He maintained that the service was operational, adding that he had successfully called the number on previous occasions.
Okinbaloye challenged the explanation, saying other calls were connecting from the same location. He also noted that viewers were sending messages indicating that they could not reach the emergency line.
Explaining how the system is intended to work, Hassan said calls to 112 would be received at emergency communication centres in the callers’ respective locations. Operators would assess each situation and contact the appropriate response agencies.
He said medical emergencies would be referred to ambulance services, while security-related incidents would be forwarded to the nearest police station.
Hassan also disclosed that the government was developing a system that would allow emergency centres to identify callers’ locations through a dashboard, reducing the need for people in distress to provide their addresses.
According to him, the emergency communication centre in Abuja was ready, but Tinubu had directed that it should not be launched until centres across the country were properly aligned. He expressed optimism that the nationwide arrangement would be completed by March 2027.
When Okinbaloye suggested that the emergency number was among government initiatives yet to become fully functional, Hassan appealed for more time.
“We’ll fulfil them. We’ll fulfil them with time. This is why we’re asking for more time,” he said.
The Federal Government had earlier directed relevant agencies, including the Nigerian Communications Commission, Nigeria Police Force, National Emergency Management Agency and Federal Road Safety Corps, to develop an operational roadmap for the nationwide rollout of the emergency number.
The National Economic Council approved 112 as Nigeria’s single universal toll-free emergency number, intended to provide access to assistance during medical, security, fire and other emergencies.
The failed demonstration has renewed questions about the accessibility and reliability of the system, particularly whether Nigerians can depend on the number during life-threatening situations.
