- Says, It Has also Created 1,200 Jobs for Nigerian Youths
By Abdulrahman Aliagan, Abuja
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has rolled out a Toll-Free Number 112 as Emergency Communication Centres (ECCs) across 27 states of the country to enhance quick responses to emergency situations. This move has not only provided a much-needed service for Nigerians but has also created job opportunities for many youths in the country.
The ECCs are equipped with modern facilities such as call-response systems, digital maps, and GPS coordinates to enable emergency responders to locate distressed individuals. In addition, the centres are designed to handle all kinds of emergencies, including accidents, fires, medical emergencies, and crime-related incidents.
The establishment of these centres has created a demand for skilled personnel to operate the facilities. Consequently, the NCC has recruited and trained Nigerian youths as ECC agents, who will be responsible for receiving and responding to emergency calls from distressed individuals.
This is contained in a statement signed by Reuben Muoka, Director, Public Affairs of the Commission and made available to Time Nigeria, stated that the new centres have created more than 1200 jobs with immediate effect.
According to the statement, “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 job opportunities created by the ECCs are expected to significantly alleviate unemployment among Nigerian youths. This will, in turn, reduce the incidence of social vices such as crime, cybercrime, and drug abuse that are often associated with a lack of employment opportunities.
It added that, the system is been operational in 27 state capitals across the country and are reachable Toll-Free number 112.
“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 also 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.
According NCC, “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 is provided instant information for command and control over emergency situations or incidents across the country.
“As the ECCs assumes more crucial roles in providing emergency communications services to the citizenry, it is also providing additional socioeconomic 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.
“The Centres are also managed by indigenous Nigerian consultants who are engaged to provide total facility and operational management of the centres.”
It is therefore instructive to state that, the role out of the Emergency Communication Centres by the NCC is a commendable effort towards enhancing safety and security in Nigeria. The creation of job opportunities for Nigerian youths is also a welcome development that will have far-reaching benefits beyond just reducing unemployment. It is hoped that the NCC will continue to pursue initiatives that will address the nation’s youth unemployment problem while enhancing the country’s technological capabilities.