Beyond providing essential emergency response services to the Nigerian public, the Emergency Communications Centres (ECC), being implemented by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) now provide employment placements for many Nigerian youth and professionals, as well as offering informal business activities to the citizens across the Country.

The ECC’s, which have been constructed and are now fully operational in a total of 27 State Capitals across the country, are reachable on Toll-Free Number 112, and are operating in similar design like the 911 Emergency Numbers in some developed parts of the world, to provide succor to individuals, who are witnesses or under distress of emergency, arising from fire outbreaks, robbery or violent attacks, domestic and road accidents, health crisis, to instantly reach response agencies through the toll-free three (3) digit numbers, 112.

Four more centres are currently undergoing test-runs to commence services in September 2023, to bring the total to 31, while another set of four are expected to come into operations before the end of the year.

The Commission provided technology platforms such as Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) systems for the respective response agencies such as police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Fire Service, Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC), Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Ambulance Service, and State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMA) to facilitate the dispatch of emergency calls through the national emergency toll-free number 112.

The three-digit code was designed to ensure that citizens in emergency situations can easily recall the three-digit code, 112, to report emergency situations.

Agents of the ECCs, have been trained, and equipped with state-of-the-art communications equipment, including digital radio and Internet-protocol (IP) and geo-location technologies to enable responders to easily identify location of incidents for effective and efficient delivery of rescue services to the public.

Emergency Centre services in Nigeria are available, live, 24 hours of the day as the agents run in shifts to ensure that services are delivered at all times of the day.

The response agencies, such as the Police with round-the-clock duties to prevent, stop and arrest crimes, are now being provided with additional mobile communications devices, some installed in their offices, to enable them to instantly receive information from call agents at the centres.

This is to also ensure that top echelon of the force are provided instant information for command and control over emergency situations or incidents across the country.

As the ECCs assume more crucial roles in providing emergency communications services to the citizenry, it is also providing additional socio-economic responsibility of providing job opportunities to the citizens as each of the centres have staffs made up of Call agents, Facility/IT Staff, and Administrators.

The basic salaries of the staff of ECCs, have been carefully set by the Commission, to ensure that the jobs at the centres are attractive for the Nigerian youths, and other category of employees.

In effect, more than 1,200 are currently offered employment at the 27 operational centres across the country, while more will be employed as the additional 8 centres under different stages of completion become fully operational by 2024.

The Centres are also managed by indigenous Nigerian consultants who are engaged to provide total facility and operational management of the centres.

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TECHDIGEST – The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is worried about the underutilisation of the country’s emergency communications centres (ECC).

NCC, which disclosed that there are 27 functional ECCs spread across the country, hinted that four more centres would be added before the end of July.

Speaking on behalf of the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, the commission’s Director of Public Affairs, Reuben Mouka, in Lagos, said Nigerians are not using the ECCs for emergencies, “rather, what they do most is to make prank calls, denying people with urgent issues.”

However, Mouka said usage of the centres has helped to save in critical times, such as during armed robbery attacks, fire outbreak among others.

He called on Nigerians to make use of the centres regularly when the need arises, adding that the 112 Emergency Toll-Free number remains very functional.

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To further modernize the centres, the NCC initiated the deployment of CAD for the response agencies. The Commission has deployed the CAD system to the commands of six response agencies including the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), States Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), as well as in Ambulance and Fire Service operations in some states.

Some of the states that have benefitted from the deployment of the CAD equipment to transform and upgrade their ECCs into an Internet protocol-based facility are Ogun, Cross River, Enugu, Kwara, Kano, Adamawa and FCT. The Commission plans to upgrade the remaining operational ECCs soon.

In a remark on the CAD deployment, EVC Danbatta, said the Commission will continue to modernise the ECCs from time to time to keep them effective and to respond appropriately to the dynamics of emergency cases, in keeping with its objective of enhancing the security of lives and property in the country.

“Over the years, the Centres have been transforming lives and helping many citizens to survive emergencies and other life-threatening circumstances through instant dispatch of emergency calls received to Emergency Response Agencies (ERA). This intervention has had a very positive impact on the lives of Nigerians,” Danbatta said.

The CAD is an automated dispatch software solution deployed for the seamless transmission of calls from the ECC to the relevant ERAs via the click of a button on the Call Agent’s System.

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TECHDIGEST – In continuation with its vision and strategy to ensure promptness, effectiveness and efficiency in the handling of emergency call services through the Emergency Communication Centres (ECC), the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has embarked on the deployment of Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) solutions.
This bolstering of the capacity of emergency response agencies comes on the heels of the Nigerian Communications Commission recent activation of the Taraba State ECC, thus bringing the total number of operational ECCs across the country to 25.

The Taraba ECC joins the existing operational ECCs in 23 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). These ECCs are located in the FCT, Adamawa, Imo, Enugu, Ondo, Oyo, Kwara, Plateau, Ogun, Kano, Katsina, Ekiti, Cross River and Edo. Others are Kaduna, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Benue, Kogi, Bauchi, Osun, Zamfara, Kebbi and Gombe States.

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To further modernize the centres, the NCC initiated the deployment of CAD for the response agencies. The Nigerian Communications Commission has deployed the CAD system to the commands of six response agencies including the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), States Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), as well as in Ambulance and Fire Service operations in seven states.

The seven states that have benefitted from the deployment of the CAD equipment to transform and upgrade their ECCs into an Internet protocol-based facility are Ogun, Cross River, Enugu, Kwara, Kano, Adamawa and FCT. The Commission plans to upgrade the remaining operational ECCs soon.

On March 9, 2022, the Commission carried out the successful trial calls to test the effective implementation of the supply, installation and integration of the CAD system for Ambulance Service in Abuja, FCT for the recently-launched National Emergency Medical Services & Ambulance Systems (NEMSAS) of the Federal Ministry of Health.

In a remark on the CAD deployment, the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, said the Commission will continue to modernize the ECCs from time to time to keep it effective and to respond appropriately to the dynamics of emergency cases, in keeping with its objective of enhancing security of lives and property in the country.

“Over the years, the Centres have been transforming lives and helping many citizens to survive emergencies and other life-threatening circumstances through instant dispatch of emergency calls received to Emergency Response Agencies (ERA). This intervention has had a very positive impact on the lives of Nigerians,” Danbatta said.

The CAD is an automated dispatch software solution deployed for the seamless transmission of calls from the ECC to the relevant ERAs via the click of a button on the Call Agent’s System.

The Nigerian Communications Commission established the EEC project in 2005 in deference to the Federal Executive Council directive. The Commission has also taken the establishment and effective operations of the Centres across the country as a matter of priority in keeping with Sections 107 (3) A and B, of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCA) 2003.

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