Telecom
FG Launches 112, National Emergency Toll-Free Number
President Muhammadu Buhari has launched 112 – a National Emergency Toll-Free Number and urged Nigerians to make use of the number in cases of emergency.
President Muhammadu Buhari
At the launch in Abuja yesterday, Buhari touted that the giant strides his government has taken in the last five years to better the security of the people.
The President also directed the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy to work with all relevant government agencies to ensure full protection of critical national infrastructure.
“We have taken advantage of digital technologies to ensure that Nigerians in distress are only a dial away from the relevant emergency response institutions in the country. This will go a long way in supporting our efforts to improve the security of lives and property.” Buhari said.
The President also unveiled of the National Broadband Plan 2020–2025 and commissioned the Communications and Digital Economy complex and launched Abuja Emergency Communication Centre.
Buhari urged mobile network operators to ensure full attainment of the targets set in the National Broadband Plan by giving special attention to un-served and underserved areas while deploying their services.
Buhari expressed concern about the challenges faced by operators in the country, particularly vandalism of telecommunications equipment.
He assured the operators of government’s commitment to ensuring that all stakeholders have a conducive environment to ensure the successful implementation of the Broadband Plan, which seeks to boost broadband penetration as well as support the deployment of 4G across the country.
On the newly commissioned Emergency Communications Centre and Toll Free Number 112, the President explained that it further demonstrates his administration’s resolve to keep Nigerians safe.
On the Digital Nigeria Programme, President Buhari explained that it is one of Federal Government’s key initiatives to empower innovators and entrepreneurs with skills required to thrive in the emerging digital economy.
“It is part of our efforts to ensure that our youths, women, unemployed graduates and people living with disabilities either become employers of labour or get a large number of well-paying jobs thereby contributing to the national drive of lifting Nigerians out of poverty,’’ he said.
Similarly, the President declared that the newly commissioned Communications and Digital Economy Complex will provide a befitting coordinating centre for the new focus on the Nigerian Digital Economy.
”It signals the desire to intensify efforts towards ensuring that Nigeria becomes an active participant in the Global Digital Economy,’’ he said.
Earlier, the President acknowledged that the dwindling price of crude oil had adversely affected budgetary projections and increased the sense of urgency to diversify the economy.
He, however, expressed delight that the projects commissioned would enhance the development of the National Digital Economy and support efforts at diversifying the economy.
According to President Buhari ” The Digital Economy will also support us in fighting corruption through digitalization and enabling government digital services.
”Digital technologies have become a useful platform for economic diversification. Having recognised the benefits of these technologies we have decided to adopt the Digital Economy paradigm early,” he said.
The President also commended the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the Presidential Committee and all stakeholders who participated in the development of the National Broadband Plan, lauding the leadership of the Ministry for the high level of synergy amongst the parastatals under its supervision.
In his remarks, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, minister of Communications and Digital Economy, said broadband penetration is key to reviving the Nigerian economy.
Citing reports from the World Bank and the World Economic Forum, the Minister said 10 per cent broadband penetration in any country will improve its GDP by at least 4.6 per cent.
With coronavirus spreading across the globe and more people living in isolation, the minister said the digital and information communication sector is providing alternatives for people to stay in touch and institutions to provide the needed basic life-saving services to the populace.
Prof Umar Danbatta, executive vice chairman of the NCC, announced that the country’s broadband penetration had increased to 38.5 per cent.
”As at the time this government came into power in 2015, broadband penetration was hovering between 4 and 6 per cent. Broadband penetration has now reached 38.5 per cent, ” he said.
Danbatta explained that the Digital Complex building accommodates the office of the Minister, permanent secretary of the Ministry and four departments of the Commission.
He added that the 5-storey building with two basement floors sit on 8 hectares of land at the Mbora district, Abuja and is equipped with modern telecommunications facility, a crèche for nursing mothers, gymnasium, among others.
Nigeria has exactly 156,662 active fixed wired internet subscriptions as of mid-2026.
This is a tiny fraction compared to mobile GSM networks, which dominate the market with over 154 million subscribers.
The fixed wired market primarily consists of homes and offices using direct physical cables like fiber optics.
Fixed wired services use physical cables, like glass fiber or copper wire, to bring internet directly into a building.
It is like a dedicated, private water pipe for your home. It provides very fast speeds, unlimited data, and is reliable.
In contrast, mobile GSM uses radio waves transmitted from tall towers to phones, acting more like a sprinkler that sprays a signal across an entire neighborhood.
Because laying physical cables across cities is expensive and hard to do, these subscriptions are very rare.
However, the market has seen recent growth, driven largely by Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) services.
The top players are: MTN FibreX with 110,564 subscribers, which is roughly 88.7 per cent of the entire market.
SWIFTNG accounts for about 13,945 connections.
The others are ipNX and 21st Century Technologies which make up the number.
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says it is intensifying efforts to implement Nigeria’s planned 112 national emergency number following its approval by the National Economic Council (NEC).
NCC
The commission disclosed this during a meeting between Vice President Kashim Shettima and an NCC delegation led by the Chairman of its Governing Board, Chief Idris Ibikunle Olorunnimbe, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Briefing the Vice President, Olorunnimbe said the NCC had already established about 35 Emergency Communications Centres (ECCs) across the country to support a unified national emergency response system.
He said the next phase of implementation would focus on closer collaboration with state governments and emergency response agencies to ensure the effective rollout of the initiative.
The development follows the recent approval by the NEC, chaired by the Vice President, for the adoption of 112 as Nigeria’s single national emergency number across all tiers of government and emergency response agencies.
The council also approved the establishment of a multi-agency implementation committee to be jointly coordinated by the Office of the Vice President and the NCC.
Olorunnimbe stressed that the success of the initiative would depend on the commitment of state governments to support and maintain emergency communications infrastructure, as well as the readiness of response agencies to promptly attend to distress calls.
“We need commitment at every level of all response agencies—from top to bottom—including the Nigeria Police Force, ambulance services across the states and, at the national level, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA),” he said.
Responding, Shettima directed the NCC to develop a comprehensive roadmap for the nationwide implementation of the single emergency number in line with international best practices.
He also urged the commission to work closely with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), citing the agency’s experience in disaster management, relief and rehabilitation.
The Vice President assured the commission of the Federal Government’s commitment to sustaining the initiative, saying funding would be mobilised through the National Economic Council and partnerships with the private sector.
He also called for greater dedication from all emergency response agencies to ensure the success of the programme.
The adoption of 112 is expected to harmonise emergency communications across Nigeria by providing a single number through which citizens can quickly access police, fire, ambulance and other emergency services.
The initiative is also expected to replace multiple emergency contact numbers currently in use and improve coordination and response during emergencies.
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said that it was strengthening collaboration with state governments and industry players to develop a transparent, cost-based pricing framework for sharing telecom ducts as part of efforts to speed up broadband expansion across Nigeria.
Ayuba Shuaibu, director of Policy, Competition and Economic Analysis, NCC, disclosed this at the Stakeholders’ Forum in Abuja.
Shuaibu said the initiative was designed to build consensus among all parties.
“The primary purpose of this forum is to ensure seamless synergy between the Commission and all stakeholders,” he said.
The director said the consultation was prompted by longstanding complaints over permits, levies and other charges imposed by different levels of government.
He said bringing together state commissioners, telecom operators, tower companies and representatives of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum had helped improve understanding of the issues.
“This engagement is a work in progress. We expect more input from stakeholders before presenting the outcome to the Nigeria Governors’ Forum,” he added.
Dr Helen Adeneye, commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology, Kogi State. welcomed the consultation, saying Nigeria needs a harmonised policy that clearly defines the responsibilities of both the federal and state governments.
“We need a harmonised policy that allows states to collaborate better with telecom operators and creates a more business-friendly environment,” she said.
Dr Adeneye added that adopting the Dig-Once policy would establish a uniform pricing system and help resolve disputes over charges for telecom infrastructure deployment.
Chidi Ajuzie, chief executive officer, WTES Projects Limited, whose firm is conducting the consultancy study, said the proposed framework would introduce a common cost structure for duct sharing to support broadband investment and economic growth.
“The study is designed to create a uniform pricing model that will drive broadband growth, economic development and wider adoption across the country,” he said.
Ajuzie explained that the consultants had developed preliminary floor and ceiling prices to guide operators while allowing flexibility within the approved range.
He added that the recommendations remain open to industry input before the NCC finalises the framework.
The Dig-Once Policy is designed to reduce the cost and disruption of deploying broadband infrastructure by requiring fibre ducts to be installed whenever roads are constructed or rehabilitated.
The NCC is developing a cost-based pricing framework for sharing these ducts to promote fair pricing, reduce duplication of infrastructure and encourage investment.
The proposed model is expected to support the Federal Government’s broadband expansion targets while improving collaboration between telecom operators and state governments.
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