APC Sacks Alwan Hassan As Spokesman After Failed Live Demonstration Of 112 Emergency Number
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has removed Alwan Hassan as a campaign spokesman, barely 24 hours after his failed attempt to demonstrate the effectiveness of Nigeria’s 112 emergency number on live television.
Hassan appeared on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, November 10, to defend President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
During the interview, he challenged presenter Seun Okinbaloye to dial 112, insisting that the number was fully operational. However, repeated attempts to connect failed during the broadcast.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, November 11, and signed by Femi Gbajabiamila, the council announced a restructuring of its media directorate, restricting official spokesperson duties to three officials: Director-General Abdulaziz Yari, Minister of Solid Minerals Development Dele Alake, and Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris.
Hassan and three other spokespersons, Ayobami Oyalowo, Kemi Asekun-Shittu and Adamu Fanda, were relieved of their positions but will remain members of the directorate.
Explaining the changes, the council said the move was aimed at ensuring “more cohesive, disciplined, and effective public engagement.” It also directed radio and television stations to comply with the new arrangement, adding that authorised representatives would be assigned to media appearances when necessary.
During the interview, Hassan described 112 as an emergency service for medical emergencies, security threats and road accidents, comparing it to the United States’ 911 system.
He had challenged the presenter, saying: “Take your phone and call 112. Nobody knows about this. We used to hear it in America, 911. Call 112 now, put it on the speaker, and they’ll ask you what’s your emergency.”
However, after the call failed to connect, Hassan blamed a possible network problem while insisting that the service was operational. Okinbaloye questioned his explanation, noting that other calls from the studio were connecting successfully.
For the past two years, residents around Old Maiduguri Road, behind Lango Primary School Bauchi LGA, have endured persistently poor network coverage from MTN, Airtel, Glo and T2.
We appeal to the network operators to urgently address the situation and call on the NCC to investigate and compel the operators to provide the quality of service consumers deserve.
@AirtelNigeria@MTNNG@Glocare@T2mobile@NgComCommission@ConsumersNCC Please intervene!
Calls and internet connectivity are unreliable, leaving us unable to enjoy the quality of service we pay for. Our data subscriptions are practically useless within this area and only become functional when we leave the neighbourhood. This prolonged service failure is unacceptable