Nigeria’s National Economic Council (NEC) has approved the use of 112 as the country’s unified emergency response number across all levels of government and relevant agencies.
The decision forms part of broader efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s emergency response system and ensure a more coordinated and efficient approach to handling crises nationwide.
In addition to the approval, NEC endorsed the creation of a multi-agency implementation committee to oversee the rollout of the initiative.
The coordination of the programme would be jointly handled by the Office of the Vice President and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
The resolution was reached during the council’s 157th meeting, held virtually and presided over by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
Shettima explained that adopting a single emergency number had become necessary to eliminate delays caused by bureaucratic processes, especially during critical situations requiring immediate response.
“This is not only a technical reform. It is a test of the state’s humanity. In moments of fire, accident, robbery, medical emergency, flood, violence, or panic, citizens do not need bureaucracy.
“They need a response. They need to know one number to call, one system to trust, and one coordinated chain of action that moves quickly enough to save lives,” he said.
The Vice President noted that although the 112 emergency number already exists in Nigeria, the current priority is to ensure proper coordination, standard operating procedures, public awareness, and institutional ownership.
According to him, the council remains a critical platform for translating the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu into tangible outcomes, stressing the need for collaboration across all tiers of government.
“We cannot build our way to a one-trillion-dollar economy by federal effort alone. We cannot create millions of jobs by speeches alone.
“We cannot expand exports, attract investment, secure communities, or unlock productivity unless every tier of government understands its role and performs it with urgency,” Shettima added.
He urged council members to focus on decisions that directly impact citizens, noting that the true measure of governance lies in results rather than meetings.
“History will not ask how many meetings we held. It will ask what changed because we met.
“It will ask whether our decisions reached the farmer, the manufacturer, the artist, the investor, the accident victim, the unemployed graduate, and the child waiting to inherit the country we are rebuilding,” he stated.
At the meeting, NEC also received a progress report on the rehabilitation of police training institutions nationwide. The presentation was delivered by an ad hoc committee led by Peter Mbah, Governor of Enugu State.
The council commended the committee’s efforts and called on the Ministry of Finance to expedite the release of outstanding funds for the commencement of the project.
It also urged that the initiative be implemented across all geopolitical zones in its first phase to ensure nationwide coverage.
