By Samuel Olusegun Precious
It was supposed to be a proud moment for the APC. It turned into a live TV disaster. Nigeria’s national emergency number, 112, failed to connect on live television on Tuesday night after APC Presidential Campaign Council spokesperson, Alwan Hassan, challenged Channels TV anchor, Seun Okinbaloye, to dial it to prove Tinubu’s government is working.
Hassan was on Channels Television’s Politics Today defending the achievements of President Bola Tinubu. He boasted that 112 was now Nigeria’s version of America’s 911 – for health, security, fire, any emergency.
“Take your phone and call 112. Nobody knows about this. We used to hear it in America, 911. Call 112 now, put it on the speaker, and they’ll ask you what’s your emergency… If you call from Enugu, you get response from there. Same goes with Abuja, Kano, and other states. Thanks to APC.”
Okinbaloye accepted the challenge. He dialled 112 several times on live TV. On speaker. For all Nigeria to hear.It did not ring. It did not connect.”Not ringing just yet,” Okinbaloye said.
Hassan insisted: “It will ring. It will ring, and they will pick.”It didn’t.”This number is not working,” Okinbaloye said.
Hassan then tried to dial 112 on his own phone. It also failed. He blamed network problems at the TV station.”It is working even without a network,” he claimed.
Okinbaloye countered: Other numbers were connecting from the same studio. And viewers were already messaging in to say 112 was not working for them too.”Because you are APC?” Okinbaloye asked.”Not because I’m APC,” Hassan replied.
Then came the killer line that is now trending:”It’s not working. Maybe this is one of your people’s promises that is not fully functional. You have a long list of non-functional promises.” – Seun Okinbaloye.
Hassan’s response:”We’ll fulfill them. We’ll fulfil them with time. This is why we’re asking for more time.”
After the show, results were mixed: a Lagos based online medium dialled 112 after the show and it connected: “This is Lagos State Hassan later explained that the Abuja Emergency Communication Centre is ready, but President Tinubu directed that the system should not be fully launched until all states are aligned.
He said nationwide alignment is expected by March 2027.
In July 2026, the National Economic Council chaired by VP Kashim Shettima approved 112 as Nigeria’s single universal toll-free emergency number. In September 2026, FG directed NCC, Police, NEMA, FRSC to develop a roadmap for nationwide rollout.
But 112 is not new. It existed under previous governments. The problem has always been coverage, network, and centres that actually pick up and dispatch ambulances/police.
Nigeria recorded 7,156 road crashes, 3,445 deaths and 22,292 injuries in the first 9 months of 2026 alone. A working 112 could save lives.
This is Hassan’s second controversial TV moment in weeks. On October 22, 2026 on ARISE News, he alleged that some ministers pay billions of naira to secure ministerial appointments and then focus on recovering the money.
The 112 clip is now viral on X, TikTok and WhatsApp.
