NCC announces New National Emergency Code for Nigeria

Fri, Jan 26, 2018 | By publisher


Business Briefs

 

AN Emergency Communication Centre, ECC, to ensure quick response to emergency calls has been established in Kaduna, by the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC. The NCC also announced 112 as the new national emergency code for Nigeria.

Bashir Idris, executive director in charge of projects at the NCC, said the pilot project is a federal government initiative to address emergency situations. He noted that “some of the emergency numbers of the police are eleven digits numbers and it is difficult for people to remember such numbers in times of emergency.

Idris at the end of a dispatcher trainicng for emergency response agencies, organised by Four D Associates Limited in collaboration with the commission, said: “You are aware of the 911. Nigeria deserves a three digit number. We have resolved for 112 to be our national emergency code number that would be used to call from any part of the country, depending on where the response units are.  In Kaduna State, we have just conducted training for those who are going to manage the centre. Anybody in an emergency situation, can call 112, it is an easy number to remember.

“It does not matter whether you have airtime on your phone or not, it is toll free. When you call 112, it will be picked up at the centre and transmitted to the relevant agency. If it is a fire incident; it will be transmitted to the fire service station in Kaduna.”

He explained that all distressed calls to the centre would be routed to the relevant agencies concerned for prompt respond. He said if it is issue that relates to road safety, the call would be transmitted to the agency concerned for prompt action. “We have equipment that will enable us have 24-hour power supply. We have two standby generators; the question of the centre running down will not arise.”

 

–  Jan. 26, 2018 @ 16:32 GMT

 

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