Abiodun OBA

 ‘112’, may soon become . Nigeria’s National Emergency Number when the Nigerian Senate finally  gives the nod.

A press statement yesterday  titled ‘Senate reinforces legal status for National Emergency Number 112’ by the Director of Public Affairs of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde reads, “Nigeria’s upper legislative chamber, The Senate, has taken further steps towards strengthening the legal status for the country’s National Emergency Number 112, being implemented by the Nigerian Communications Commission though its Emergency Communication Centres.

 “The Senate Committee on Communications recently organised a one-day public hearing where stakeholders gathered to make valuable contributions and observations on two bills by the Senate Committee on Communications.

“These are the Nigerian Postal Service Act (Repeal and Establishment) Bill, 2021 and the Nationwide Toll-Free Emergency Number (Establishment) Bill, 2021, being sponsored by Senator Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State.”

“The emergency number bill passed the second reading on Wednesday, April 21, 2021 and the recent Senate public hearing on the bill was to have extensive discussion towards making the bill more robust to ensure a more effective, uniform and well-coordinated national emergency number 112, when it is finally passed into law, similar to the 999 emergency number in the United Kingdom and 911 in the United States.”

At the public hearing, Senate President, Dr. Ahmed Lawan, was said to have emphasised the need to pass such a bill into an Act of National Assembly, while the Chairman of the Senate Committee, Oluremi Tinubu, was said to have affirmed that the bill will help to establish the Nationwide Toll-Free Number as a primary emergency number and contact point for all emergency services in the country.