Key Takeaways
- Alwan Hassan, from the APC Presidential Campaign Council, boasted about Nigeria’s new 112 emergency number while chatting with host Seun Okinbaloye, claiming it works without network issues.
- Okinbaloye tried calling on speaker during the live show, but it didn’t connect — other calls from the studio went through fine, and viewers reported the same problem.
- Hassan blamed a possible network glitch and said the service has run for years with nationwide rollout expected by March next year. The awkward moment drew laughs and frustration online, spotlighting gaps in emergency services amid government claims.
It was supposed to be a proud moment for the government. It turned into live embarrassment.
Alwan Hassan, from the APC Presidential Campaign Council, boasted about Nigeria’s new 112 emergency number while chatting with host Seun Okinbaloye on Channels Television’s Politics Today, claiming it works without network issues.
Seun did what any good journalist would do. He tested it. Live. On air. On speaker.
It didn’t connect.
According to posts on X sighted by Xtrend.ng, Okinbaloye tried calling on speaker during the live show, but it didn’t connect — other calls from the studio went through fine, and viewers reported the same problem.
Channels Television captured the moment in its own post:
“Alwan Hassan, a member of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, spoke about the availability of Nigeria’s 112 emergency number, which was immediately put to the test. #PoliticsToday”
The clip, which has now drawn over 766K views, 1.7K comments, 3.3K reposts and 6.3K likes, shows the awkward silence in the studio as the call fails to go through.
Hassan blamed a possible network glitch and said the service has run for years with nationwide rollout expected by March next year.
But for many viewers, the excuse did not land. If other calls from the studio went through fine, why did 112 — the one number that is supposed to save lives in an emergency — fail?
Gossip Mill Nigeria summed up the mood online:
“Breaking News: Member of the APC Presidential Campaign Council Gets Disgraced On National TV, after Bragging that Tinubu has Established Nigeria’s very own emergency number ‘112’, The Number was immediately put to the test but it refused to work.”
Breaking News: Member of the APC Presidential Campaign Council Gets Disgraced On National TV, after Bragging that Tinubu has Established Nigeria’s very own emergency number “112”, The Number was immediately put to the test but it refused to work pic.twitter.com/TkxZQzgx8d
— Gossip Mill Nigeria (@GossipMillNaija) November 10, 2026
The awkward moment drew laughs and frustration online, spotlighting gaps in emergency services amid government claims.
Nigerians have repeatedly complained that calling emergency numbers in Nigeria often leads to dead lines, unanswered calls, or “number not reachable.”
For critics, the live failure proved the point: you cannot boast about an emergency system on TV when the system cannot even survive a live TV test.
For supporters of the government, Hassan’s explanation — that it was a network glitch and that nationwide rollout is expected by March next year — is a reminder that the system is still being built.
But on X, the verdict was already in: if 112 cannot connect on Channels TV, what happens when a real Nigerian in a real emergency needs it?
