Senators pass bill to make 112 national emergency number

The Senate has passed a bill to establish 112 as the nationwide toll-free emergency number in Nigeria.

The bill, sponsored by Senator Ibikunle Amosun, was read for a third time during plenary on Tuesday, September 21, 2021, and passed in a unanimous voice vote.

The bill had been read a second time in April and referred to the Committee on Communications for legislative scrutiny.

While reading the committee's report on Tuesday, Senator Biodun Olujimi said the emergency number will enable Nigerians have timely and efficient access to emergency service agencies.

"The adoption of 112 as the sole emergency number for Nigeria, as opposed to several existing helpline numbers for varying emergency situations as is obtainable at the moment will eradicate the confusion associated with determining which helpline to call," she said.

In addition to what was initially proposed in the bill, the committee further recommended the establishment of a nationwide emergency communication service for reporting of emergencies throughout the country.

The service will be responsible for deploying and coordinating a reliable infrastructure for the emergency reporting from citizens.

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) will be responsible for formulating regulations and guidelines for the operations of the service.