By Jessica Dogo
In a bid to ensure promptness, effectiveness and efficiency in handling emergency call services, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has embarked on the deployment of Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) solution.
NCC’s Director of Public Affairs (DPA), Dr Ikechukwu Adinde, made this known in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.
Adinde said the deployment would enhance NCC’s handling of emergency call services through the Emergency Communication Centres (ECC).
He said that the commission had recently increased the number of ECCs across the country to 25 for improved efficiency.
“This bolstering of the capacity of emergency response agencies is coming on the heels of Commission’s recent activation of the Taraba State ECC, bringing the total number of operational ECCs across the country to 25.
“The Taraba ECC joins the existing operational ECCs in 23 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“These ECCs are located in the FCT, Adamawa, Imo, Enugu, Ondo, Oyo, Kwara, Plateau, Ogun, Kano, Katsina, Ekiti, Cross River, Edo and Kaduna states.
“Others are Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Benue, Kogi, Bauchi, Osun, Zamfara, Kebbi and Gombe states,” he said.
He said that the NCC initiated the deployment of CAD for the response agencies in order to further modernise the centres.
According to him, the Commission has deployed the CAD system to the commands of six response agencies, including the Nigerian Police Force and the Federal Road Safety Corps.
“The system was also deployed to Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, States Emergency Management Agencies (SEMA), as well as in Ambulance and Fire Service operations in seven states.
He said: “The seven states that have benefitted from the deployment of the CAD equipment to transform and upgrade their ECCs into an Internet protocol-based facility are Ogun, Cross River, Enugu, Kwara, Kano, Adamawa and FCT.
“The Commission plans to upgrade the remaining operational ECCs soon.”
Adinde said that on March 9, the Commission carried out the successful trial calls to test the effective implementation of the supply, installation and integration of the CAD system for Ambulance Service in the FCT.
He said that the commission had taken the establishment and effective operations of the centres across the country as a matter of priority in keeping with relevant provisions of the Nigerian Communications Commission Act, (NCA) 2003.
Meanwhile, the Executive Vice-Chairman (EVC) of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, said the Commission would continue to modernise the ECCs from time to time to keep it effective.
Danbatta said that NCC would respond appropriately to the dynamics of emergency cases in keeping with its objective of enhancing security of lives and property in the country.
“Over the years, the centres have been transforming lives and helping many citizens to survive emergencies and other life-threatening circumstances through instant dispatch of emergency calls received to Emergency Response Agencies (ERA).
“This intervention has had very positive impact on the lives of Nigerians,” Danbatta said.
“The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that CAD is an automated dispatch software solution deployed for the seamless transmission of calls from the ECC to the relevant ERAs via the click of a button on the Call Agent’s System.
The Nigerian Communications Commission established the EEC project in 2005 in compliance to a Federal Executive Council directive. (NAN)
