By Prince Osuagwu
Life may no longer be too sweet for criminals in Nigeria, if the 112 emergency toll-free lines the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC is lining up across the country achieve the desired aim.
In fact it will be a typical example of how technology breathes down the neck of insecurity as witnessed in developed economies.
operating in similar design like the 911 Emergency Numbers in some developed parts of the world, 112 provides succor to victims or witnesses of violent attacks, or those under distress or emergency, arising from fire outbreaks, domestic and road accidents or health crises.
It is designed in a fashion like a touch in the button and a response is around the corner.
To make it super effective the NCC provides 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.
These technologies facilitate the dispatch of emergency calls through the national emergency toll-free number 112.
A likelihood of an earth station, known as Emergency Communications Centre, ECC, are deliberately scattered everywhere across the country so that when an incident happens, a call does not have to travel far to connect, thereby delaying response.
Aside from the essential emergency response services, the ECCs are also another source of youth employment in the country.
Already, no fewer than 1,200 youths are currently on employment at the 27 operational centres across the country, according to the NCC.
Even at that, there is still hope of more as additional 8 centres under different stages of completion become fully operational by 2024.
The Centres are also managed by indigenous Nigerian consultants.
An excited Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Prof Umar Danbatta told Hi-Tech that: “The three-digit code, 112 was designed to ensure that citizens can easily recall and resort to them in 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.
Meanwhile, NCC sources also told Hi-Tech that activities in the 27 operational centres across formed part of the positive inputs which saw telecommunications activities lead the ICT sector in posting strong support to the gross domestic product, GDP in quarter two of 2023.
Q2 2023: ICT contributes 19.54% to GDP
Recall that activities in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) contributed 19.54 percent to Nigeria’s real Gross Domestic Product, GDP, in the quarter two of 2023.
The National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, disclosed this in its latest GDP statistics. This shows an increase in contribution compared to the 18.44% recorded in the same period last year.
Quarter on quarter, the sector also recorded a growth in real GDP contribution when compared to the 17.47% it added in Q1, 2023.
According to NBS, the ICT sector comprises the four activities of Telecommunications and Information Services; Publishing; Motion Picture, Sound Recording, and Music Production; and Broadcasting.
While the ICT sector recorded a growth rate of 11.64% in real terms year on year in the quarter under review, the growth was driven largely by activities in the telecommunications sub-sector, which contributed 16.06% to the GDP in the real term.
The telecom industry, which is dominated by mobile network operators including MTN, Globalcom, Airtel, 9mobile, and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) is also driving a lot of activities in every other sector of the economy.