“As president, I would ask the Police to get a national emergency number, say 419 like the Americans use 911. It won’t be various numbers for various police stations. I saw some very long un-memorisable numbers on the website of the Nigerian police. How on earth do they expect anyone to know such numbers? The first thing most robbers do now is to take your phone from you so you won’t be able to call. How does the Nigerian police expect a traumatised robbery victim, whose phone has been taken from him, to remember a 10-digit emergency number? It’s rather ridiculous. I mean, we could instead have 419 – which is the most popular police code in Nigeria. If you are robbed, and your phone is taken, you can get to a call centre and just dial 419." by Temitope Oyetomi Author of the book 'Fellow Nigerians, I wish you Goodluck'

419 is d most important 3 digits number Nigeria as a nation has given d world. U can google it. So making it a distress call number in Naija makes a lotta sense.

KnowAll: 419 is d most important 3 digits number Nigeria as a nation has given d world. U can google it. So making it a distress call number in Naija makes a lotta sense.

thanks alot, if this is the only comment i get on this post, then thats enough for me.

Infact, i think should go to bed now sef....

I agree. Nigerian emergency number should be 419.

I agree too, a person with bullet stuck in his head can always remember to dial that number!

Smh

419 lol, very creative.

Tonto almost made it to sing on this track but couldn't! http:///3ik1n38zymbk .its a hit!

Brilliant idea... It could also be used to change people's view about the number 419 *claps for your idea*

searchcorp:

thanks alot, if this is the only comment i get on this post, then thats enough for me.

Infact, i think should go to bed now sef....

ƪoƪ! I agree. Giving 419 a good connotation is not a bad idea.

Rebrand 419

Not bad 419 as an emergency number...

Oprah " they are so proud of it they make a song of it" referring to Olu Mentain and Kelly Handsome, now we want to make it a nationalize thing? You can imagine how Wikipedia will have to put it, " the Nigerian emergency number was derived from its popular Internet scam phrase"

No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No!

lol everyone can easily remember that, even kids
its ok sha
but op as the president of what? 419ers?

hahahahahahahahahahaha

Great Idea.
Good thinking! Good product.

Yiou ish kin ya yi! Yiou ish kan ga yi. (In Japanese accent)

in some cases, someone in shock cannot dial 3 different digits on a keypad. it should be 3 digits of same number like "333"

I think its a god idea... 419

lordZOUGA: in some cases, someone in shock cannot dial 3 different digits on a keypad. it should be 3 digits of same number like "333"

What abt 911 or 112?

martyns303: Oprah " they are so proud of it they make a song of it" referring to Olu Mentain and Kelly Handsome, now we want to make it a nationalize thing? You can imagine how Wikipedia will have to put it, " the Nigerian emergency number was derived from its popular Internet scam phrase"

+1000000 Likes.
I don't know how some writer thinks, probably they fail to see beyond their nose.
419 is the word associated to internet scams, no thanks to some foolish Nigerians and some politicians.
This is a number known world-wide and how on earth will that meaning changes if the number is adopted for police emergency?
It sounds so foolish and the world will make further fun of us.

I tried d number and it rang A 419 picked I ges

Red-Light:
What abt 911 or 112?

well, its easy to accidentally type any 3 digit of the same number. thats why they changed just one number and left the others as it ia.

searchcorp:

thanks alot, if this is the only comment i get on this post, then thats enough for me.

Infact, i think should go to bed now sef....

Very funny. Some of us almost plead for front page but you got it with your humility. As for your idea, i say HECK YES. If only the PDP robots on NL would pass the idea to GEJ.

Beware of 419 and fraudulent in-laws. ! This Land is not for sale.

martyns303: Oprah " they are so proud of it they make a song of it" referring to Olu Mentain and Kelly Handsome, now we want to make it a nationalize thing? You can imagine how Wikipedia will have to put it, " the Nigerian emergency number was derived from its popular Internet scam phrase"

Don't spend too much time worrying about what the white man thinks of you. The gesture is to make positive out of negative and if GEJ is really able to transform the police structure, then knowing that dialing 419 can save your life is astonishing.

419 na wa oo ol boy OP you wan cast naija finish abi...u wiked oo

lordZOUGA: well, its easy to accidentally type any 3 digit of the same number. thats why they changed just one number and left the others as it ia.

true talk,i hv on numerous occasions mistakenly dialled 5555,44444,22222 etc most of the time am unaware of it wen my phone keypad is unlocked.

toothpaste:


Very funny. Some of us almost plead for front page but you got it with your humility. As for your idea, i say HECK YES. If only the PDP robots on NL would pass the idea to GEJ.

Thanks man, what can i say. a friend of mine (Oyetomi Temitope - An author) suggested it jokingly on facebook and i decided to bring it on nairaland, i sincerely wasnt expecting to make frontpage, but then i have been dancing alingo since morning.

419 it is, lets rebrand those digits, who knows our children's children may one day see the bravery in it.

Its a very good idea and a way of rebranding the Nigerian image and the number 419. I think is high time we got an emergency police number instead of those numerous private lines we see on the internet and police stations.

funny enough thats de extension number for the security in my work place.

ita not a bad idea though.....at least easily memorized and if it can be made uniforn so wen in distress,yur call hits the nearest police station, would be nice.

cogitoErgo: I agree too, a person with bullet stuck in his head can always remember to dial that number!

Great Idea!!