Party Leader Exposes Policy Deceit On Live TV

OpenLife News reports that a viral video from Channels TV’s Politics Today has exposed a major policy deceit after a party leader, Alwan Hassan, who is a member of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, claimed President Bola Tinubu’s 112 emergency number works even without network and has a dashboard that tracks caller location — but a live dial test on the programme failed to ring.

The programme, titled “Tinubu and Election Hurdle,” featured an APC guest passionately selling the 112 emergency system as a world-class achievement. But while he insisted “it will ring, it will ring and they will pick,” a man testing the number live found only silence, even as other numbers dialled from the same phone rang perfectly.

The clip, taken from Channels TV’s Politics Today — “Tinubu and Election Hurdle”, shows an APC guest passionately selling the Tinubu administration’s achievement on emergency response: the national emergency number 112.

But as he spoke, a second man in the video — the content creator reacting to the interview — picked up his own phone and did what millions of Nigerians have tried to do in real emergencies: he dialled 112.

It did not ring.

Full Transcript — What Was Said On Live TV

APC Guest on Politics Today:

“112 APC… In America, 911, call 112. Now put it on speaker and they will ask either help… whatever, call 112. Welcome to Nigeria, call 112, I’ll put it on speaker.”

“Thanks to APC government, when they ask us now, dial am, no problem. So what kind of emergency help will he… will tell you, put it on speaker and put volume.”

“Dialing it… you will pick, you will pick. Not ringing just yet. 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 what you want, where you live and what’s your emergency.”

“If it’s an ambulance, they use FEMA or NEMA to get to you. If it’s a robbery or anything as such, the next police station will be contacted to come and give help.

“And let me tell you what Ashiwaju has done again on this…”

“They now have gone farther… They now have gone further to… this is 112. They now have gone farther to have a dashboard in every center.

“Location of the caller, you know why? Because usually when some people are in distress call, it’s hard for them to see their addresses.”

“The Abuja center has already gotten… the President said no, they should not launch Abuja center until all the seats have been alive, which will happen by next year March.

“If a distress call comes in, on 112, if a distress call come in in their centers on the dashboard, they will see the location. You don’t need to ask you of the location. All they need to do is just fix you on this.”

“Paper is not working, it is working. Even without internet, even without network, it works, even without network.”

The Man Testing It Live (Reacting):

“I’ve been dialing it, it’s not ringing.”

“We’ve been dialing, yeah.”

“The Abuja center, he said recently to the Abuja center, it’s there, it’s working. Joe, it’s working. It’s me, we’ve been trying to dial it, that one why all of a sudden…”

“It’s not… yeah, I think it’s a network issue, but this is the number I’ve called so many times just to ask… you know, because I mean I could dial several other people from this same place and it’s ringing, no.”

“Different number. I’ve done different number. It’s ringing. I’m the… the only one that is not ringing, I’ve…”

The Moment Everything Fell Apart

On one side of the screen, the party leader is gesticulating, pointing, raising his hands, insisting: “It will ring, it will ring and they will pick.”

On the other side of the screen, in the small inset box, a Nigerian is holding his phone to his ear, waiting… and waiting… and waiting.

No ring. No pickup. No “Welcome to Nigeria, what is your emergency?”

Just silence.

He tries again. Still nothing.

Then he says the line that has now become the headline of the whole video:

“I could dial several other people from this same place and it’s ringing.

“Different number, I’ve done different number, it’s ringing. I’m the only one that is not ringing.”

In other words: My network is fine. My phone is fine. Other numbers are ringing. Only 112 is not ringing.

That is the deceit exposed.

What The Government Claimed 112 Can Do

According to the guest on Politics Today, the Tinubu administration had transformed 112 into a world-class system:

1. One number for all emergencies: Ambulance, robbery, fire, any distress — just dial 112.

2. Automatic location tracking: A dashboard in every centre will show your exact location, so you don’t even need to know your address when you are in distress.

3. FEMA / NEMA dispatch: If you need an ambulance, FEMA or NEMA will be sent. If it’s robbery, the nearest police station will be contacted immediately.

4. Works even without network: The guest claimed it works even without internet, even without network.

5. Abuja centre ready by March next year: The President allegedly said the Abuja centre should not be launched until all seats are alive, which will happen by March next year.

It sounded perfect. It sounded like America’s 911. It sounded like Nigeria had finally arrived.

Until someone actually tried it.

Why This Video Is Hurting APC

This is not about one phone call. This is about trust.

Nigerians have heard this story before. New policies are announced on TV with big grammar, big dashboards, big promises. But when a woman is in labour at 2am, when armed robbers are breaking a door, when a building collapses, the number does not pick.

The video captures the exact gap between government announcement and government reality — live, unedited, undeniable.

The party leader on TV kept saying “It is working, it is working.” The phone in the inset kept saying the opposite: silence.

And that is why Nigerians are sharing it. Because many of them have tried 112 themselves and gotten the same silence.

The Question Nigerians Are Now Asking

If 112 does not ring in Abuja, on live TV, in front of millions of viewers, during a programme about Tinubu and the election hurdle — when will it ring?

If it needs “network” to work, why was it sold as working “even without network”?

If the Abuja centre will only be fully alive by March next year, why is the government already celebrating it as a working achievement today?

And most importantly: *In an emergency, who do you call when 112 does not pick?*

The party leader tried to answer with confidence. The phone answered with silence.

And in that silence, Nigerians heard the real story.

Policy on TV is not policy on ground. Until 112 rings, the deceit stands exposed.

Understanding Policy & Deceit

Q: Does Nigeria’s 112 emergency number work?
A: On Channels TV Politics Today, a party leader claimed 112 works even without network and has a dashboard that tracks caller location. But a live test during the programme showed 112 did not ring or pick, while other numbers dialled from the same phone rang perfectly. Many Nigerians say they have had the same experience.

Q: What did the APC guest claim about 112 on Politics Today?
A: He claimed if you dial 112, the centre in your location will pick — Abuja centre for Abuja, Kano centre for Kano — and ask what you want, where you live and what is your emergency. He said FEMA or NEMA will be sent for ambulance, and the nearest police station for robbery. He also claimed a dashboard shows caller location automatically and that it works even without internet or network.

Q: Why did 112 not ring on live TV?
A: During the live test, the tester said he had been dialling 112 and it was not ringing. He tested other numbers from the same place and they rang, suggesting the problem was not his phone or network, but the 112 line itself. The guest suggested it might be a network issue.

Q: What is the 112 dashboard claim?
A: The guest claimed Tinubu’s government has gone further to install a dashboard in every 112 centre. If a distress call comes in, the dashboard will show the caller’s location, so officials do not need to ask for the address. The Abuja centre is said to be fully alive by March next year.

Q: What is the difference between 911 and 112?
A: In the video, the guest compared America’s 911 to Nigeria’s 112, saying just as Americans call 911, Nigerians should call 112 and put it on speaker for emergency help. The live test suggested 112 does not yet work like 911 in practice.

Q: When will Abuja 112 centre be fully working?
A: According to the guest on Politics Today, President Tinubu said the Abuja centre should not be launched until all seats are alive, which will happen by next year March.

Q: What does the viral 112 video prove?
A: The viral video is being shared as proof of policy deceit — that government achievements announced on TV do not match reality on ground. The party leader said “it is working,” but the live phone test showed silence, leading Nigerians to ask: in a real emergency, who do you call when 112 does not pick?