The Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) says it has completed a major validation exercise for a new digital postcode system designed to assign unique digital addresses to addressable buildings across the country.
NIPOST
The Chief Executive Officer of NIPOST, Mrs Tola Odeyemi, disclosed this in Abuja during the validation process for the proposed national addressing framework.
Odeyemi said the initiative was part of efforts to establish a technology-driven addressing system capable of improving service delivery, location identification and digital inclusion nationwide.
According to her, the system will provide machine-readable addresses for buildings and assign a unique code to every identifiable structure in Nigeria.
She said the project would position Nigeria among a few African countries implementing a detailed digital postcode identification system.
“The validation exercise is necessary to ensure that postcode boundaries accurately reflect geographical realities and administrative structures across the country,” she said.
Odeyemi noted that Nigeria’s diverse terrain and settlement patterns required different approaches to address mapping and postcode allocation.
She explained that geographical differences between states such as Jigawa and Bayelsa made it necessary to adopt location-specific methods to ensure accuracy.
According to her, postcode boundaries must align with existing administrative structures and local government areas.
The NIPOST chief said the validation process involved comparing aerially generated maps with actual settlement patterns on the ground to confirm the accuracy of building density, topography and settlement structures.
She cited densely populated communities such as Mushin in Lagos and relatively less crowded areas in Abuja as examples of locations requiring different validation approaches.
The development comes amid efforts by the Federal Government to implement a national digital addressing system as part of its digital transformation agenda.
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, had recently announced that the first phase of the digital postcode rollout was expected to commence in October.
According to Tijani, the project will provide every building in Nigeria, including those in rural communities, with a unique digital address.
He said the system would support security operations, emergency response services, identity verification processes and e-commerce activities.
The minister described the digital postcode initiative as critical national infrastructure capable of addressing longstanding challenges associated with inaccurate address identification.
He noted that poor addressing systems had often complicated crime investigations, emergency response operations and location verification efforts.
The digital postcode project forms part of broader government investments in digital infrastructure aimed at enhancing public service delivery, connectivity and economic growth.
