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The National Economic Council (NEC) chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima has endorsed 112 as a unified national emergency number in Nigeria to better coordinate response to disasters and security incidents across the country.
Also approved by the council at its 157th meeting held virtually was the establishment of a multi-agency implementation committee that will be jointly coordinated by the Office of the Vice President and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
This committee will encourage the rollout and standardization of the emergency response system nationally.
Shettima explained that the implementation of Number 112 aims to eliminate bureaucratic delays in emergencies.
“This is not just a technical reform. This is a test of the country’s humanity. In times of fire, accident, robbery, medical emergency, flood, violence or panic, citizens don’t need bureaucracy. They need response,” said Shettima.
According to a statement by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications (Office of the Vice President), Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima noted that although the emergency number 112 already exists, the priority now is to ensure proper coordination, institutional ownership, public awareness and trust in the system.
The Vice President described the NEC as the country’s economic engine room and urged the federal and state governments to translate President Bola Tinubu’s New Hope Agenda into results that have a direct impact on society.
“History will not ask how many meetings we held. History will ask what changed because we met,” he said, calling for decisions that would have a positive impact on Nigerian society in all sectors.
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The NEC also directed the Federal Ministry of Finance to expedite the disbursement of funds approved for the rehabilitation of police training institutions nationwide.
The briefing was followed by a presentation by an ad hoc committee led by Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State.
The NEC urged the committee to ensure an equitable national spread by covering institutions across geopolitical zones in the first phase.
On the public health front, the council ratified the expansion of the polio eradication ad hoc committee to include seven additional high-risk states – Jigawa, Kaduna, Bauchi, Niger, Yobe, Borno and Adamawa.
The government also received an update on vaccination efforts, confirming that the second batch of 12 states will begin immunization from Saturday as part of intensive efforts to eradicate the disease.
In the culture and tourism sector, the NEC approved the request of states to contribute N200 million each towards the implementation of the New Hope and Naija Seasons Cultural Project, a national initiative aimed at promoting Nigeria’s cultural assets and tourism potential.
NEC is informed that this initiative could create up to one million jobs by 2030, increase diaspora inflow and increase Nigeria’s global cultural footprint.
The Council also reviewed progress on the National Industrial Policy (2025), which targets key sectors such as agro-allied industries, solid minerals, oil and gas, pharmaceuticals and manufacturing clusters to encourage export-oriented growth.
It is stated that the Nigerian Industrial Cluster Program has the potential to generate revenues of $2.74 billion over 25 years.
NEC also received an update on the country’s financial buffers, with the balance in the Excess Crude Oil Account reaching $535,823.39; Stabilization Account, N72.84 billion, and Natural Resources Account, N158.19 billion as of April 27, 2026.
