FG unveils digital address system to boost security, e-commerce

The Federal Government has unveiled plans to roll out a nationwide digital postcode system aimed at improving security, curbing fraud, strengthening emergency response services and boosting e-commerce operations across the country. The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, disclosed this on Monday at the National Digital Alphanumeric Postcode System Workshop in […]

The Federal Government has unveiled plans to roll out a nationwide digital postcode system aimed at improving security, curbing fraud, strengthening emergency response services and boosting e-commerce operations across the country.
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, disclosed this on Monday at the National Digital Alphanumeric Postcode System Workshop in Abuja.
He said the first phase of the rollout would begin in October, with several states expected to be covered before the end of the year.
Tijani said the initiative would assign a unique digital address to every building in Nigeria, including those in rural communities, enabling security agencies, businesses and public institutions to accurately identify and locate people and properties.
The minister said the project is a critical national infrastructure designed to address Nigeria’s long-standing challenge of lacking a reliable and standardised addressing system.

He noted that the absence of accurate addresses has hampered crime investigations, emergency response services and identity verification processes, while creating opportunities for fraud.

“In some cases, it has enabled fraud because identity verification systems could not consistently link people to physical locations. Even when you know a person’s name or BVN, locating them remains a challenge,” he said.

Tijani said the system would improve intelligence gathering and operational efficiency for security agencies.

He added that it would support faster emergency response, accurate crime scene identification, improved border monitoring and stronger anti-money laundering investigations through reliable address verification.

He stressed that the initiative was not a pilot scheme but a full national rollout backed by the Federal Government.

Representing the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the National Coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Centre, Major General Adamu Laka, said the initiative would significantly enhance national security and public safety.

The Postmaster-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), Tola Odeyemi, said the system would be implemented with strict privacy safeguards in collaboration with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission.

She said access to citizens’ and businesses’ information would be restricted on a need-to-know basis.

Odeyemi said the system could reduce the N50 billion to N80 billion lost annually to failed deliveries and inefficient logistics operations.

Nigerians, she said, would access the platform through digital channels, mobile applications and USSD services.