“Call 112 Now, Put It On Speaker” — APC Chieftain’s Live Demo Backfires As Emergency Line Refuses To Ring On Channels TV

November 11, 2026 Northern Nigeria

An attempt by the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign representative, Alwan Hassan, to showcase the Federal Government’s 112 emergency line as a major achievement ended in embarrassment live on Channels Television, as the number failed to connect during an on-air test.

Appearing on Channels TV’s Politics Today, Hassan urged host Seun Okinbaloye to dial 112 on speaker, comparing it to America’s 911.

“Take your phone and call 112. Somebody knows about this — we used to hear it in America, 911. Call 112 now, put it on speaker, and they will ask you what’s your emergency, either health, security, distress call, whatever. Call 112, Seun. Welcome to Nigeria. Call 112 and put it on speaker. Thanks to the APC government, put it on speaker. That’s an achievement,” Hassan said.

Okinbaloye dialled, but the line did not ring.

“Not ringing just yet,” he said.

Hassan insisted it would pick.

“It will ring. It will ring, and they will pick. That’s an emergency line. And if you are in Abuja, the center in Abuja will pick. If you are in Kano, the center in Kano will pick. They will ask you where you live and what’s your emergency. If it’s an ambulance, do you need FEMA or NEMA to get to you? If it’s robbery or anything as such, the next police station will be contacted to come and give help,” he said.

He added that the government had gone further to have a dashboard in every centre showing the location of the caller, because when people are in distress, it is hard for them to say their addresses.

“The President said no, they should not launch the Abuja center until all the states have been aligned, which will happen by next year, March. If a distress call comes in on 112, in their centers on the dashboard, they will see the location. You don’t need to ask for the location,” Hassan said.

But the line still did not connect.

“This number… this number is not working,” Okinbaloye said.

“It is working, Seun. It is working. You have dialed it on your line; it’s working even without internet, even without network. It works even without network,” Hassan replied.

“Oh, I’ve been dialing it; it’s not ringing,” Okinbaloye said.

Hassan blamed a possible network issue in the Channels studio, but Okinbaloye demonstrated that other numbers were ringing.

“I have dialed a different number; it’s ringing. Okay? The only one that is not ringing… I’ve dialed several other numbers; the only one that is not ringing… No, I mean, I pray that it works,” Okinbaloye said.

“I’ve tried it so many times to test it, and they pick,” Hassan insisted.

“Because you are APC?” Okinbaloye asked.

“Not because I’m APC. This is a fantastic idea, and I wish that it’s working,” Hassan said.

“But even on your number, it’s not working,” Okinbaloye said.

“Why are they making you a liar right now?” Okinbaloye asked. “Why are they making you a liar all of a sudden? And you wanted to campaign with it, but unfortunately…”

“I’m not a liar,” Hassan said.

Okinbaloye then asked viewers across the country to try the number and report back.

“Wherever you may be in the country, if you dial 112 and it’s working, tweet to me at @Seunokin. Let me know whether it’s working, and let me know which state you are dialing from. Because I wish and I hope that this service works,” he said.

He added: “I’m seeing a lot of people… people who are watching right now are saying that it’s not connecting.”

Hassan maintained that the service had been around for almost four years and was working.

“It’s been connecting. This has been around for almost four years now, Seun, and it’s been working,” he said.

“It has been functional since 2020. President Buhari launched it during the pandemic. It’s been working since 2020, Seun. The Vice President visited the center recently in Abuja,” Hassan added.

When pressed on why so many people could not connect at the same time, Hassan conceded: “I don’t know. Maybe the system is not fully functional.”

Okinbaloye responded: “Maybe this is one of the promises that is not fully functional, anyways. And you have a long list of nonfunctional promises that the APC has made.”

Hassan appealed for more time.

“We’ll fulfill them. We will fulfill them with time. This is why we are asking… this is why we are asking for more time,” he said.

“You need more time?” Okinbaloye asked.

“Yes,” Hassan replied.

“And you think Nigerians will understand the need for more time?” Okinbaloye asked.

“But we have done a lot that people will see. We’ve done a lot. We’ve done cancer centers; there has never been a government cancer center before. Six cancer centers, three are already working — Katsina, Benin, and Lagos are already working. So we’ve done a lot. There is a lot that this government has done,” Hassan said.