Nigerian media personality and entrepreneur, Noble Igwe, has come to the defence of Nigeria’s 112 emergency number following its failure to connect during a live television broadcast.
The incident occurred during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where Alwan Hassan, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council, challenged the programme’s host, Seun Okinbaloye, to call the emergency number to establish whether it was functional.
However, the presenter’s attempts to reach the line during Tuesday’s live broadcast were unsuccessful, sparking reactions and raising concerns about the reliability of the emergency service.
Reacting to the development in a post on X, formerly Twitter, Noble Igwe faulted Nigerians for questioning the functionality of the emergency number based on the television demonstration.
According to him, the 112 emergency line is specifically designed for emergency situations, arguing that the failed call during the programme was not enough to conclude that the service would be inaccessible when genuinely needed.
“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,” he wrote.
Igwe maintained that the unsuccessful attempt on live television should not automatically be interpreted as evidence that the emergency service would fail during an actual crisis.
His defence has since generated mixed reactions, with Nigerians debating the effectiveness and accessibility of the emergency number.
While some have supported his position, others believe the failed demonstration raises legitimate concerns about the service, stressing that an emergency line should be readily accessible whenever members of the public need urgent assistance.