The National Economic Council (NEC) has approved 112 as a unified national emergency number to be used across all levels of government and relevant agencies.
The decision forms part of broader efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s emergency response framework and ensure a more coordinated, nationwide system for handling crises.
In addition, the council endorsed the creation of a multi-agency implementation committee to drive the initiative, with programme coordination to be led by the Office of the Vice President and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
The resolutions were reached during the 157th NEC meeting, which was held virtually and presided over by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
Speaking at the meeting, Shettima underscored the urgency of a unified emergency number, noting that Nigerians facing crises require swift intervention rather than administrative delays.
“This is not only a technical reform. It is a test of the state’s humanity. In moments of fire, accident, robbery, medical emergency, flood, violence, or panic, citizens do not need bureaucracy.
“They need a response. They need to know one number to call, one system to trust, and one coordinated chain of action that moves quickly enough to save lives,” he stated.
The vice president explained that while the 112 number already exists, the focus now is on ensuring effective coordination, standard procedures, public awareness, and institutional responsibility to make the system fully functional and reliable.
He described NEC as a critical platform where federal and state governments must work together to translate the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu into tangible results.
“We cannot build our way to a one-trillion-dollar economy by federal effort alone. We cannot create millions of jobs by speeches alone.
“We cannot expand exports, attract investment, secure communities, or unlock productivity unless every tier of government understands its role and performs it with urgency,” the VP noted.
Urging members to prioritise decisions that directly impact citizens, Shettima added, “History will not ask how many meetings we held. It will ask what changed because we met.
“It will ask whether our decisions reached the farmer, the manufacturer, the artist, the investor, the accident victim, the unemployed graduate, and the child waiting to inherit the country we are rebuilding.”
The council also reviewed progress on the rehabilitation of police training institutions nationwide, following a presentation by an ad hoc committee led by Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State. NEC commended the committee’s work and urged the Ministry of Finance to fast-track the release of remaining approved funds to kick-start the project.
It further directed that the first phase of the intervention should ensure equitable national coverage by including training institutions across all geopolitical zones.