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.
In recent years, efforts have been made to standardize the postal code system in Nigeria. In 2018, NIPOST launched its Address Verification System, a verification platform that seeks to create a centralized and up-to-date database of physical addresses and the details of their occupants to bridge the gap in data verification.
Later in 2020, the agency partnered with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to verify the addresses provided by SIM card owners during registration to address the country’s identity management and verification challenges.
To revive Nigeria’s postal service, which many say is below par, NIPOST has said it would launch a digital postcode system by June this year. This is coming months after the agency and National Population Commission (NPC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to roll out digital postcodes in the country.
How the digital postcodes will work
The new system, which replaces the old analogue postcode system introduced in 1986, is designed to facilitate efficient mail delivery and enhance emergency response from security agencies, the Postmaster General of the Federation/CEO, NIPOST, Adeyemi Adepoju said at a recent event.
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.
Read also: A New NIPOST Would Have Been this Government’s Brightest Tech Initiative, but for Politics
Not the first attempt to digitalise Nigeria’s postal service
This isn’t the first time that NIPOST would attempt to digitize Nigeria’s postal service. Five years ago, it created the Address Verification System (AVS) and the Digital Addressing System (DAS) to solve Nigeria’s unique addressing challenges. While the AVS enables individuals, service providers, institutions, and government agencies to verify customers’ addresses, as well as identities, the latter is designed to provide a unique digital address for every location in Nigeria, using a combination of numbers and letters to identify a specific building or property.
The AVS platform, for one, is poised to be instrumental in improving the national security infrastructure by creating a centralized and up-to-date database of physical addresses and details of their occupants. You can read more about how the AVS here.
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.
This would solve other national issues that might arise from Nigeria’s identity management problems. If anything, identity management is central to national planning, security, and provision of social services, according to experts. A recent report says over 100 million Nigerians lack access to any form of recognized ID.
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.