Nigeria’s emergency communications centres increase to 25

For effective and efficient handling of emergency calls through the Emergency Communication Centres (ECC), the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has embarked on the deployment of Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) solutions.

The increase in the capacity of emergency response agencies is coming on the heels of the Commission’s 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.

NCC, which announced this yesterday in a statement, noted that to further modernize the centres, it 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 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 would 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 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.

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.