LAWMAKERS CALL FOR TOLL-FREE EMERGENCY DIAL NUMBER FOR THE USE OF CITIZENS
The House of Representatives during plenary session on Wednesday, April 27, 2016 directed the Committee on Legislative Compliance to ensure that the resolution calling on the Global System of Mobile Telecommunications (GSM) service providers and the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) to as a matter of urgency and national importance, configure the toll-free emergency dial numbers '911' into their networks for the use of citizens. The resolution was passed on the heels of a motion moved by Hon. Obinna Kingsley Onwubuariri who expressed concern that the 11 digit dial numbers made available to the public by security agencies is not handy, cost-free and not easy to memorize during distress.
He further explained that his motion was motivated by the present security challenges confronting the nation, where configuration of a 3 digit dial number that well distributed to institutions such as National Emergency Management Agency, Nigeria Police Force, Fire Service, FRSC to mention a few would help prevent casualties during crisis. He reiterated that most advanced societies have such emergency numbers for the use of their citizens. He posited that as a matter of corporate social responsibility, the GSM providers are obligated to make available and accessible too, a toll-free means of communication between the citizens of Nigeria and relevant institutions in times of emergency.
Also, during the plenary, the House urged the Federal Government to expeditiously make provisions for Marine Community Health Officers such as trained ambulance officers, marine engineers, drivers and skippers in the Riverine Communities in the Federation. This followed a motion on the need to provide these facilities to cater for victims of boat accidents, moved by Hon. Emmanuel Akpan, the House also mandated the Committee on Emergency and Disaster Preparedness to ensure compliance on the ground that the provisions are made for the functional, accessible and effective medical services in Riverine communities.
Before wrapping up the business of the day, the House in a resolution prevailed upon the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing and the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission to immediately halt the move to raise a Federal Government secured Bond of N309 Billion for the purpose of financing the outrageous shortfall in the Nigerian Electricity Market.
The resolution which stemmed from a motion that got extensive inputs from other members, moved by Hon. Edward Gyang Pwajok urged the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to devise a monitoring mechanism to measure and enforce full monthly remittance by Discos, recoup all mis-appropriated funds that resulted in accumulated market shortfalls and apply sanctions for any default including the threat to withdraw the licenses of erring Discos.