The Vice President, Kashim Shettima, chaired the 157th meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC), held virtually, where key decisions were taken to strengthen Nigeria’s emergency response system.
A major resolution at the meeting was the adoption of 112 as the National Emergency Number across all levels of government and relevant agencies. The move is aimed at establishing a unified and coordinated national response mechanism for emergencies.
According to the Council, the new emergency lifeline is designed to improve rapid access to help in situations such as natural disasters, security threats, and other urgent incidents across the country.
NEC also approved the establishment of a multi-agency implementation committee and programme coordination framework to oversee the rollout of the system. The committee will be led by the Office of the Vice President in collaboration with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
The Council explained that the adoption of 112 is necessary to eliminate delays caused by bureaucratic bottlenecks in emergency response systems. It stressed that citizens in distress require immediate intervention rather than administrative procedures.
Officials at the meeting noted that the reform is part of broader efforts to enhance efficiency, improve coordination among agencies, and ensure faster response times during emergencies nationwide.
NEC further emphasized that the success of the initiative will depend on effective inter-agency collaboration and public awareness to ensure the emergency number becomes fully operational and accessible across the country.
