During a live broadcast on Channels Television on Tuesday night, an All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council member, Alwan Hassan, experienced an awkward moment when a public test of Nigeria's national emergency number failed. Hassan had asserted that the toll-free 112 emergency response system operates efficiently across the country under the current administration.
How did the live test unfold?
While discussing government accomplishments on the programme, Hassan maintained that the emergency infrastructure had seen significant upgrades to assist citizens facing urgent situations. To substantiate his claims, he challenged the show's anchor to dial the number immediately on television.
Anchor Seun Okinbaloye took up the challenge, placing a call to 112 from his mobile phone, but the attempt did not connect. In an effort to rescue the demonstration, Hassan also tried calling the emergency line on his own device, which similarly failed to go through.
What reasons were given for the failed call?
Initially, Hassan claimed that the emergency service functions effectively even in the absence of standard mobile network coverage. However, following the unsuccessful live attempts, he attributed the breakdown to poor network connectivity in the studio.
The unexpected incident quickly drew widespread attention and mixed reactions across various social media platforms, sparking discussions regarding the reliability of public infrastructure services in the country.