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.
According to Yar’adua, a unified emergency number would particularly benefit people in remote and underserved areas. With recent statistics showing that nearly 90 percent of Nigerians own mobile phones, he said the toll-free line would bring help closer to millions who urgently need it.
“The number will provide a one-stop shop for receiving distress calls and dispatching them to appropriate response agencies,” he stressed. “It is easier to learn, remember, and dial, and it eliminates the stress of memorising several emergency numbers.”
For the system to function effectively, Yar’adua emphasised the need for strong coordination among the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), other relevant agencies, and mobile network operators.
Senators across party lines backed the proposal. In his submission, Ali Ndume praised the bill as “timely and very, very important,” especially in the context of Nigeria’s worsening insecurity.
“One of the challenges we are having during this heightened insecurity is a lack of proper or effective communication with the affected agencies. If we do this, we are enhancing and contributing to solving the security challenges and other related criminalities we are facing in the country,” he stated.
He urged the Senate leadership to fast-track the legislation so it could be approved and implemented without delay.
Also speaking in support, Mohammed Tahir Monguno described the bill as essential to strengthening public participation in security and emergency reporting.
“Our security community is always calling on the general public to report what they see… There is a need for the government to create an avenue where the public can report what they see without any hindrance,” Monguno said.
He argued that the bill would “give strength and muscular expression” to the national call for vigilance by replacing the “multiplicity of emergency lines” with a single channel easily accessible to all Nigerians.
The bill was subsequently referred to the Committee on Communications for further legislative action. It is expected to report back after four weeks.
