Senate considers Bill to create single national emergency number
The Nigerian Senate has opened deliberations on a bill that seeks to establish a unified, toll-free emergency number for use across the country.
The proposed legislation, titled “A Bill for an Act to Establish the National Emergency Toll Service (NETS) to Provide Uniform, Accessible and Rapid Emergency Response Through a Dedicated Toll-Free Number Nationwide, to Empower the Nigerian Communications Commission as the Regulator and for Related Matters, 2025 (SB 402),” was presented by Senator Abdulaziz Yar’adua of Katsina Central during Tuesday’s plenary.
Yar’adua explained that the bill aims to streamline Nigeria’s numerous emergency hotlines into a single, easy-to-remember three-digit number potentially 112 or another code to be determined after public consultation. He cited international examples such as the United Kingdom’s 999, the United States’ 911, and India’s unified emergency number introduced in 2014, noting that such systems have significantly improved emergency response outcomes.
Nigeria currently operates multiple hotlines for the police, fire service, ambulance support, domestic violence, child welfare and disaster management. According to the senator, Lagos State alone maintains several toll-free numbers tied to various agencies, a situation he described as confusing and inefficient during emergencies.
“A single toll-free emergency line would ensure that anyone in distress can reach the appropriate authorities with just one call,” Yar’adua said. “This number would act as a central access point for distress calls and enable quick dispatch to the relevant response agencies.”
He added that calls and text messages to the national emergency line would be automatically routed to the nearest emergency response centre, leveraging the widespread use of mobile phones across the country.
The bill received broad support from lawmakers. Senator Ali Ndume of Borno South praised the proposal as “timely, very important, and urgently needed,” arguing that a unified system would strengthen Nigeria’s security framework and address communication gaps among security agencies.
Senate Chief Whip Tahir Monguno, representing Borno North, also endorsed the legislation, stressing the need for a simple and reliable channel for citizens to report emergencies and suspicious activities.
The bill has now passed second reading and is expected to proceed to further legislative review.
