The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has described the failed attempt by President Bola Tinubu’s campaign spokesperson, Mallam Alwan Hassan, to demonstrate the functionality of Nigeria’s 112 emergency line on national television as a national embarrassment and a reflection of what it called the failure of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government.
The party said the incident had exposed serious questions about the state of the country’s emergency response infrastructure and the government’s preparedness to protect citizens in life-threatening situations.
In a statement signed by the Spokesperson of the NDC National Campaign Council, Dr. Chiogo Ikokwu, the party said an exercise intended to showcase the effectiveness of a critical public safety service instead ended in embarrassment when the emergency line reportedly failed to respond.
The NDC dismissed the explanation that the failure was caused by network problems, insisting that Nigerians needed a dependable emergency response system rather than excuses and television demonstrations.
“When Nigerians face accidents, violent attacks, medical emergencies or other life-threatening situations, they need a responsive emergency system, not government propaganda and television performances. Giving an excuse that the line did not work because of ‘network issues’ does not cut it at all,” the party said.
It challenged the APC-led administration to stop making excuses and take urgent steps to ensure that the emergency service functions effectively.
The NDC argued that the incident was not an isolated reflection of government failure, alleging that Nigerians continued to contend with insecurity, poorly equipped hospitals, unreliable public infrastructure, failing institutions and a rising cost of living.
According to the party, the gap between government claims and the daily experiences of citizens had become increasingly difficult to ignore, particularly in critical sectors such as transportation, healthcare and public safety.
It accused the government of paying more attention to defending its performance and managing its public image than addressing the problems confronting Nigerians.
“What makes this particularly troubling is the government’s apparent obsession with defending its record rather than fixing the problems. Public resources, government machinery and official platforms should be deployed to deliver results, not manufacture positive headlines,” the statement said.
The party maintained that governance should be measured by the quality of services citizens receive rather than claims made by government officials on television.
It added that a government unable to demonstrate the reliability of its emergency line should prioritise fixing the system rather than staging public relations exercises.
“What we saw was a failed APC, failed 112 Emergency line, failed everything,” the NDC declared.
The party called on the APC-led government to admit what it described as its failures, stop deceiving Nigerians and prepare to leave office in 2027.
It urged Nigerians to support the NDC’s presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, and his running mate, Alhaji Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, whom it said would provide a more efficient administration and restore good governance.
The NDC insisted that Nigerians deserved a government that worked, functional public institutions and emergency services that could be trusted when lives were at stake.
“Public safety is not a propaganda exercise. And the lives of Nigerians are too important to be reduced to a failed television demonstration,” the statement added.
