By Seun Adams
The Senate on Tuesday passed the bill seeking to establish the National Emergency Communications Service.
Recall that the National Emergency Communication centres is a proactive initiative of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) deployed to bridge the gap between the distressed and the emergency response agencies across the country with the overarching objective of nipping and tackling crimes and criminality in the country.
This was just as the upper chamber approved 112 as the toll-free number for emergencies.
The passage of the nationwide toll-free emergency number (Establishment) Bill, 2021, followed the consideration of a report by the Committee on Communications.
The report was presented by Senator Biodun Olujimi, who used to be on the board of NCC, on behalf of the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
In her presentation, Olujimi explained that Clause 2 of the bill seeks to establish the Nationwide Emergency Communications Service.
According to the lawmaker, the agency when established, would be charged with the responsibility of deployment and coordination of a seamless and reliable end-to-end infrastructure for emergency needs throughout Nigeria.
She added that Clause 5 of the bill was amended to vest the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) with the responsibility of formulating regulations and guidelines for the workings of the Nationwide Emergency Communications Service.
Olujimi explained that Clause 11 of the bill prohibits the use of telephone and mobile telecommunications services to place a false, frivolous or vexatious call to the emergency number 112.
Clause 12 of the bill provides that, “a person who violates any of the provisions of this bill or the regulations is guilty of an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a penalty of not more than fifty thousand naira or in default to a term imprisonment not exceeding six months, and for each subsequent offence is liable on summary conviction to a fine of not more than two hundred and N50, 000.00 or, in default, to a term of imprisonment not exceeding one year.”
In addition, new sub clauses (2), (3) and (4) were introduced in the bill to provide for the blacklisting of any person who violates Clause 11 for a period not more than eight weeks.