Historically, Nigeria has had a somewhat fragmented postal code system, with different agencies using different postcodes for different…
Historically, Nigeria has had a somewhat fragmented postal code system, with different agencies using different postcodes for different reasons: the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) has its postcodes primarily used for traditional mail delivery, while some courier companies and e-commerce platforms have their proprietary postcode systems.
For the uninitiated, the term “postcode”, often used interchangeably with “zip code”, refers to a series of numbers used in postal addresses to identify a specific geographic location for the delivery of mail or packages.
How the digital postcodes will work
Other benefits of the digital postcodes, according to Adepoju, include providing an effective healthcare delivery system, adequate revenue and tax collections, and utility bill distribution, boosting Nigeria’s economy, helping reduce insecurity, and enhancing the seamless issuance of driver’s licenses, National Identity Management number, international passport, banking services, and other address verification services.
How will this work? The NIPOST boss said the digital postcode is expected to capture every part of the country using a systematic framework of alpha-numeric characters from the state, local government areas, postcode districts, postcode areas, and postcode units.
Not the first attempt to digitalise Nigeria’s postal service
The NIPOST Digital Verification System — upon which both the AVS and DAS are built — is a sort of database that catalogues verified addresses across the country: the system generates a unique digital code for each address verified. Interestingly, NIPOST does not require that people scurry to offices to verify their addresses manually. Instead, the system was expected to leverage the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) database.
A needless relaunch?
The million-dollar question is, if the existing solutions were built on digital technology, why is NIPOST launching a digital postcode? Already, both the AVS and DAS address the identity verification problems. With a unique digital address for every location in Nigeria, it is easier to verify the addresses and identities of anyone living there.
While different government agencies have developed different identity management platforms, they have failed to interoperate these platforms for efficiency. Nigerians have had to register and submit their biodata to each of these agencies, but these identity systems are not synched with each other, raising serious questions about the need for interoperability and a unified identity system. Hence, NIPOST’s move to introduce digital postcodes may complicate this existing problem.