The Senate on Tuesday passed for second reading a bill seeking the establishment of a nationwide toll-free emergency number, aimed at creating a unified and more efficient system for reporting emergencies across the country
The proposed legislation, titled: “A Bill for an Act to Establish a Nationwide Toll-Free Emergency Number for Reporting Emergencies Throughout the Federation and for Related Matters, 2025” was sponsored by Senator Abdulaziz Musa Yar’adua (APC – Katsina Central).
Leading the debate, Senator Yar’adua said the bill is designed to end the current fragmentation of emergency hotlines in Nigeria by providing a single, memorable three-digit code, proposed as 112, to serve as the national emergency number.
He noted that the bill, first read on March 20, 2024, will standardise the country’s emergency response architecture and ensure that distress calls are promptly routed to the nearest public safety answering point or control centre.
“Emergency numbers are needed in life-threatening situations,” Yar’adua said.
“They can be used to report road accidents, fire outbreaks, burglary, medical emergencies, and more.
“Once a call is made, it must be answered instantly by a trained dispatcher or an automated system capable of coordinating assistance.”
The senator cited global best practices, pointing to the United Kingdom’s 999 service introduced in 1937, the United States’ 911 system launched in 1968, and India’s unified emergency number operational since 2014.
He lamented that, unlike these countries, Nigeria operates multiple helplines, which often slow down emergency response.
“For instance, Lagos alone has toll-free lines for the Police, Fire Service, Ambulance, LASTMA, KAI, LASEMA, domestic violence, child abuse, and even air ambulance services. Other states also run different emergency numbers.
“The presence of multiple emergency numbers in Nigeria has become an impediment to swift response during emergencies,” he said.
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