By Our Reporter
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has criticised the Federal Government over the failure of the 112 emergency telephone number during a live television demonstration, describing the incident as a national embarrassment and evidence of poor public service delivery.
The National Campaign Council of the party said the incident exposed serious weaknesses in Nigeria’s emergency response infrastructure and raised concerns about the government’s preparedness to protect citizens in times of danger.
The party’s spokesperson, Chiogo Ikokwu, stated this in a statement issued on Wednesday while reacting to the failed demonstration on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme.
The controversy followed an exchange involving an All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain and member of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Alwan Hassan, who challenged the programme’s presenter, Seun Okinbaloye, to dial 112 to establish that the emergency number was operational.
However, the call failed to connect, prompting Hassan to suggest that the problem might have been caused by network issues.
Reacting, the NDC dismissed the explanation, describing it as an unacceptable excuse for the failure of a critical national emergency service.
It said the inability of Nigerians to reach emergency responders through the designated number could have serious consequences during road accidents, violent attacks, medical emergencies and other life-threatening situations.
“The failed attempt by President Bola Tinubu’s Campaign Spokesperson, Mallam Alwan Hassan, to demonstrate the functionality of Nigeria’s 112 emergency line on national television was nothing short of a national embarrassment,” the statement said.
The party argued that attributing the failure to network problems did not address the fundamental concerns surrounding the reliability of the service.
“Giving an excuse that the line did not work because of ‘network issues’ does not cut it at all,” it added.
The NDC said the incident reflected broader governance challenges, including insecurity, poorly equipped hospitals, unreliable public infrastructure, weakening institutions and the rising cost of living.
It further accused the Federal Government of paying more attention to defending its performance than addressing the difficulties confronting Nigerians.
“What makes this particularly troubling is the government’s apparent obsession with defending its record rather than fixing the problems. Public resources, government machinery and official platforms should be deployed to deliver results, not manufacture positive headlines,” the statement added.
The party maintained that effective governance should be measured by the quality of services citizens receive rather than assurances and political statements by government officials.
“Governance is not about what government spokespersons say on television, it is about what ordinary Nigerians experience when they need their government most,” it said.
The controversy has also raised questions about the consistency of the emergency service across the country.
A PUNCH correspondent reportedly made a separate attempt to call 112 but was also unable to connect. However, an X user claimed that the number worked in Umuahia, Abia State, suggesting possible inconsistencies in its operation across different locations.
Hassan had explained during the television programme that emergency communication centres were expected to receive calls and coordinate responses from relevant agencies, including the police and ambulance services.
He also disclosed that although the Abuja centre was ready, President Bola Tinubu had directed that it should not be formally launched until emergency centres across the country were properly aligned.
According to him, the process was expected to be completed by March 2027.
When the presenter suggested that the emergency number might be another government promise yet to become fully operational, Hassan responded: “We’ll fulfil them. We’ll fulfil them with time. This is why we’re asking for more time.”