The federal government has reaffirmed its commitment to the nationwide adoption of the National Digital Alphanumeric Postcode System to improve governance, strengthen service delivery and accelerate Nigeria’s digital transformation.

The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, said this on Thursday in Abuja, at a stakeholder workshop on the operationalisation of the Nigerian Digital Postcode for ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).

Mr Tijani, represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Nadungu Gagare, described the digital postcode as a critical national digital public infrastructure that would support smarter governance and more efficient public service delivery.

He said the initiative aligned with the digital transformation agenda of President Bola Tinubu administration and would provide trusted location intelligence for government planning and decision-making.

According to him, the absence of a reliable national addressing system has continued to affect planning, emergency response, financial inclusion, logistics and access to essential public services.

He said, “The Nigerian Digital Postcode represents far more than an improvement to postal services.

“It is a strategic national asset and a critical digital public infrastructure that supports service delivery, strengthens governance, enhances national security and promote  financial inclusion.”

He stated that it would also improve logistics and e-commerce, facilitate healthcare delivery, support educational planning and provide geospatial intelligence for evidence-based policymaking.

The minister said the successful implementation of the initiative would depend on collaboration among federal and state governments, regulators, development partners and the private sector.

He urged the MDAs to actively embrace a common national framework for digital addressing to ensure interoperability across government institutions.

“The future of governance is digital. The future of public service is data-driven, while the future of national development is built on integrated, interoperable and citizen-centred systems,” Mr Tijani said.

Earlier, the Postmaster-General of the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), Omotola Odeyemi, said the National Digital Alphanumeric Postcode was central to the agency’s vision of connecting Nigeria, delivering solutions and improving lives.

She said the initiative marked NIPOST’s transition from traditional mail services to building digital infrastructure capable of connecting every Nigerian location to opportunities, government services and commerce.

According to her, the GIS-enabled infrastructure assigns every addressable location a unique, machine-readable and geographically anchored postcode.

Ms Odeyemi said the system would complement existing digital identity and payment infrastructure by enabling the government to accurately determine where services and interventions should be delivered.

“We are not merely talking about addresses. We are talking about healthcare reaching the right communities and social protection programmes reaching the right beneficiaries.

“We are also talking about better planning, better statistics, emergency response and improved infrastructure development,” she said.

She said the digital postcode would provide a common language of location across MDAs, making public service delivery more efficient and coordinated.

According to her, the success of the project will depend on widespread adoption, integration and collaboration among all stakeholders.

Ms Odeyemi urged MDAs to identify practical use cases for integrating the digital postcode into their operations, particularly in healthcare delivery, education, taxation, infrastructure planning, emergency response and population management.

Also speaking, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack, described the initiative as a strategic tool for improving public administration and digital governance.

Ms Walson-Jack, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Service Welfare Office, Abdul Garba, said integrating the digital postcode into institutional processes would enhance service delivery, transparency and operational efficiency.

She reiterated the commitment of the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation to support innovations that would equip the civil service with the systems and capacities required to meet public expectations.

She commended NIPOST for convening the stakeholder session, describing it as a reflection of the federal government’s commitment to building a more efficient, digitally enabled and citizen-centred public service.

The workshop featured technical demonstrations and panel discussions on integrating the National Digital Alphanumeric Postcode into public services.

The services include healthcare, financial services, education, elections, social protection, census and national statistics. 

(NAN)