FG moves to operationalise 112 national emergency number
By Zagazola Makama
The Federal Government has commenced steps to operationalise the 112 national emergency number as a single, toll-free channel through which Nigerians can access emergency services across the country.
The move followed a directive by Vice-President Kashim Shettima during a stakeholders’ meeting on the National Emergency Number 112 Project in Abuja on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026.
Shettima directed relevant government agencies to develop a comprehensive operational roadmap and standard operating procedures for the nationwide rollout of the emergency number.
The Federal Government has consequently constituted a committee comprising the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and other relevant agencies to finalise the framework for consideration and formal endorsement by the National Economic Council (NEC).
The NEC had recently approved 112 as Nigeria’s single universal toll-free emergency number, replacing the fragmented emergency response lines currently operated by different agencies.
The initiative is aimed at eliminating delays and bureaucratic bottlenecks while providing citizens with easier access to rapid assistance during emergencies, including fires, road crashes, medical emergencies and security incidents.
Speaking at the meeting, Shettima urged members of the committee to draw from global best practices in developing the operational framework and ensure that the project moves from policy approval to practical implementation.
He charged the stakeholders to finalise the roadmap and standard operating procedures for presentation to the NEC, stressing the importance of making tangible progress.
“Let’s make progress so that whatever time we have spent here is worth spending,” the Vice-President said, while assuring stakeholders that the Federal Government would provide the resources required to drive the process.
He said adequate funding would be made available once the project progressed to the implementation stage.
The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, expressed the full support of the Nigeria Police Force for the adoption of 112 as the country’s unified national emergency number.
Disu described the initiative as a significant step towards providing Nigerians with a simple and reliable means of accessing emergency assistance.
He said that during emergencies such as armed attacks, road crashes, fire outbreaks, medical crises or kidnapping incidents, citizens often face the additional challenge of determining which agency to contact.
According to him, the 112 system would provide a single access point through which an emergency call could be directed to the appropriate response agency.
Earlier, the Personal Assistant to the President on e-Governance in the Office of the Vice-President, Mrs Lydia Aina, said Nigeria’s emergency response system currently operates across multiple agencies, platforms and jurisdictions.
She explained that the fragmented structure often affects how emergencies are received, coordinated and responded to.
Aina said the objective was to move from the existing fragmented system to a coordinated and eventually fully integrated national emergency response framework.
She stressed that the success of the 112 initiative would depend not only on the emergency number itself but also on the people, agencies, operational standards and systems required to make it functional when citizens place emergency calls.
“Our job now is to turn it into an actual working programme with milestones,” she said.
According to her, six immediate priorities have been identified, beginning with governance and a clear delineation of responsibilities among participating agencies.
Other stakeholders at the meeting pledged their support for the initiative, including the Director-General of NEMA, Mrs Zubaida Umar; Corps Marshal of FRSC, Shehu Mohammed; and Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, among others.
The Federal Government’s move is expected to strengthen coordination among emergency response agencies, reduce response delays and provide Nigerians with a more accessible mechanism for seeking urgent assistance.
If successfully implemented nationwide, the 112 system could provide a unified gateway linking citizens to police, fire, medical, road safety, disaster management and other emergency response services.
The initiative is therefore being positioned as a major step towards building a faster, more coordinated and citizen-centred emergency response system in Nigeria.
