Nigeria’s National Economic Council (NEC) has approved 112 as the country’s single, toll-free national emergency number in a bid to enhance coordination and speed up responses to security incidents, medical emergencies, fires, and natural disasters.
The decision forms part of wider efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s emergency response system and establish a unified framework for managing crises across the country.
The approval was made during the 157th NEC meeting, held virtually and chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima. At the meeting, the council also endorsed the creation of a multi-agency implementation committee, with programme coordination to be led by the Office of the Vice President in collaboration with the National Communications Commission (NCC).
Vice President Shettima said the adoption of a single emergency number was necessary to eliminate delays caused by bureaucratic bottlenecks, stressing that citizens in distress require immediate action rather than administrative processes.
“This is not only a technical reform. It is a test of the state’s humanity,” Shettima said. “In moments of fire, accident, robbery, medical emergency, flood, violence, or panic, citizens do not need bureaucracy. They need a response.”
He explained that while an emergency number system already exists in Nigeria, the focus now is on improving coordination, standard operating procedures, public awareness, institutional responsibility, and public trust.
Shettima also described the NEC as a central platform for aligning federal and state efforts, noting its role in translating government policies into practical outcomes under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
