Wahala App targets public incident reporting

When flooding hits Lagos, a tanker overturns on the highway or violence breaks out during an election, many Nigerians head to social media for updates. It has become the fastest way to find out what’s happening. Even so, the information is often scattered across hundreds of posts. Wahala App wants to bring those reports together on a single platform. Launched in April by Oriekaose Agholor, Adetunji Adewoye and Kosi Kabiri, the startup has built a mobile and web app for reporting public incidents. Users can also receive alerts about events happening around them. The app covers crime, road accidents, flooding, election incidents and damaged infrastructure. Users can upload photos, videos and a short description of an incident. The app places each report on a live map. Other users can see what’s happening nearby or elsewhere in the country. They can also filter reports by location or time. When someone reports an incident, the app alerts people within a selected radius. The founders believe this could help users avoid flooded roads, traffic congestion and other hazards.

Building trust into every report

Alongside user reports, Wahala App pulls in reports from established news outlets through its in house AI tool. The app clearly labels these entries. It also links them to the original source. Users can update existing reports, confirm details or challenge information they believe is incorrect. They can also rate how serious an incident is. The platform uses those responses to calculate the severity shown on each report. Another feature lets users follow topics instead of locations. For example, someone interested in elections, terrorism or flooding can receive alerts whenever new reports appear under those categories. It does not matter where the incident happens in Nigeria. The platform also includes an SOS feature. It lets users notify emergency contacts and quickly access emergency services. For now, emergency contacts must also use the app. The founders say they plan to add SMS and phone call notifications.

The next step for Wahala App

Wahala App is free for individual users. Instead, the startup plans to earn revenue through partnerships with estates, resident associations, security organisations, emergency response agencies and public institutions. The founders say more than 100 people have joined the app since its launch. The bigger challenge will be changing an established habit. Nigerians already share breaking news on social media, where information spreads quickly. Wahala App is not trying to replace those platforms. Instead, the founders hope people will also use a service that collects and organises public incident reports. For now, the three founders are funding the business themselves. They use income from their full-time jobs to keep the platform running and continue building it.