Nigerian media personality and entrepreneur Noble Igwe has defended Nigeria’s 112 emergency telephone number after it failed to connect during a live television demonstration on Channels Television.
The controversy followed an appearance by Alwan Hassan, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, on Politics Today, where he challenged the programme’s presenter, Seun Okinbaloye, to dial 112 to demonstrate that the emergency service was operational.
However, repeated attempts to reach the number during Tuesday’s broadcast were unsuccessful, triggering criticism and questions about the reliability of the service.
Reacting to the incident in a post on X, formerly Twitter, Igwe argued that the failed demonstration did not necessarily mean the emergency line would be unavailable when Nigerians needed urgent assistance.
He also criticised those drawing conclusions about the service based on the television incident, suggesting that the number was intended for genuine emergencies rather than routine testing.
Igwe wrote:
“Nigerians are behaving like they know it all, 112 is ONLY active in an emergency situation and that was no emergency. The fact that it failed on National TV does not mean that it will fail you, it may not connect in the first few days.”
His comments have generated further debate, with Nigerians questioning the explanation and demanding clarity about the circumstances under which the emergency number can be accessed.
While Igwe maintained that the unsuccessful broadcast test should not be treated as proof that the service cannot work, the incident has renewed attention on the importance of having a reliable emergency response system.
The 112 number is designated as Nigeria’s national emergency telephone number, intended to provide access to emergency assistance, including police, fire and other relevant services.
Given the critical role of emergency hotlines, the failed demonstration has raised questions about network accessibility, call routing and the readiness of the system to respond when members of the public need urgent help.
However, neither the failed television test nor Igwe’s explanation independently establishes whether the service was operational across the country at the time of the broadcast.
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