NCC

By Emma Okonji

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said it is poised to harmonise pockets of emergency numbers that currently exist among government agencies and telecommunication operators across the country. Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Dr. Eugene Juwah, dropped the hint at the eWorld Technology Forum in Lagos at the weekend.

According to Juwah the move became necessary in order to further strengthen the drive for road safety, using technology tools.

“One critical effort of the commission in the direction of improving road safety is the current deployment of Emergency Communication Centres (ECC) in all the state capitals and Abuja. This is a nationwide system that will utilise the universal 112 code for telephone users to reach all emergency service like the Police, Fire Service Commission, Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Ambulance Services, among others,” Juwah said.

Ojobo, who was represented by the Director, Public Affairs of NCC, Mr. Tony Ojobo, however explained that the plan would be focused on harmonising all existing emergency centres in all state capitals, as well as all existing emergency numbers from various agencies, such that Nigerians would be familiar with only one emergency number that would link all emergency centres in the country.
According to him, Nigerians may not remember the different emergency numbers of different agencies like the Police, FRSC, Fire Service Commission, among others when they find themselves in a distress situation, like road accidents, fire outbreak, collapsed building, among others and they needed to make instant distress call.

For instance, Fire Service Commission has its emergency number different from FRSC and the Police. When people are under tensed situation, and have need to make distress calls, they tend to forget the number that will address the situation. But NCC has planned it in such a way that it would harmonise all existing emergency numbers with different agencies, such that Nigerians could dial only 112 for any kinds of distress calls, be it road accident, fire outbreak, armed robbery, collapsed building, among others.
According to Ojobo, NCC, in collaboration with the federal government, has built two emergency centres in Minna in Niger State, and Awka in Anambra State. The two centres, which are ready for commissioning, will serve as pilot centres to receive all emergency calls from a single code of 112, and staff at the centres will immediately re-direct the distress call to the appropriate channel and to the nearest location to the scene of the incident, for prompt rescue action. While the Awka Centre will handle calls from West, Eastern and Southern parts of the country, the Mina Centre will handle calls from the Middle Belt, North Central and other Northern parts of the country.

Ojobo said the idea would help improve road safety and save lives and property that are exposed to unexpected dangers.

He however said the challenge would be on the management of the harmonised centres. According to him, in developed countries where it is currently practised, telecoms regulators and operators are not directly involved in the management, but explained that NCC would continue to manage the centres in Nigeria, until government is able to create an agency that has the capacity to manage the centres.

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This is long overdue
Gradually, we will get there