FG rolls out 11-character postcode for every addressable building

The Federal Government has launched a National Digital Alphanumeric Postcode System aimed at providing a unique location identity for addressable buildings across Nigeria and reducing losses caused by failed deliveries.

The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, announced the launch on Thursday, saying the system was introduced through the Nigerian Postal Service.

Under the scheme, each addressable building is assigned a unique 11-character alphanumeric postcode linked to its geographical location. The code is structured around five levels — state, local government area, district, area and building.

Unlike conventional addresses, the postcode is attached to the building rather than its occupants, meaning it remains unchanged when residents or businesses move.

Tijani said poor addressing costs Nigeria an estimated N50bn to N80bn annually through missed and failed deliveries, but argued that the consequences extend beyond the logistics industry.

According to him, inadequate addressing also affects emergency response, security operations, financial services, businesses and government planning.

“For a country to work efficiently, we need to be able to answer one very basic question. Where?” Tijani said.

The GIS-enabled system covers addressable buildings in urban and rural communities and is designed to complement existing addresses by providing a standard digital location reference.

NIPOST’s platform will allow Nigerians to search for, save and share their postcodes, while people whose buildings have not been captured can request a code.

Organisations will also be able to integrate the postcode system into their platforms, potentially providing a common location reference for e-commerce, deliveries, customer records, financial services and other transactions.

Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer of NIPOST, Tola Odeyemi, had earlier described the initiative as a machine-readable framework for identifying buildings nationwide.

Tijani said the project forms part of Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure and the government’s wider digital economy programme.

He urged Nigerians to find their postcodes, save them and begin using them when providing location information to businesses, service providers and others.

“Every Nigerian deserves to be found. Every business deserves the chance to reach its customers. And every community deserves to be within reach of opportunity,” he said.