The Federal Government has ratified a preliminary framework to establish a digitised and modern national addressing system capable of locating individuals, businesses and communities across Nigeria.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the National Addressing Council (NAC) and key stakeholders in Abuja, chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima. Under the new arrangement, the Federal Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation will serve as the council’s secretariat to improve coordination and implementation.
Shettima said the system would link verified addresses with digital identity and other government databases while protecting citizens’ privacy. He said a reliable national addressing framework would strengthen financial inclusion, social interventions, logistics, urban planning, emergency response and security.
The Vice President assigned roles to key institutions, including NIMC for individual verification, CAC for business addresses and NIPOST for postcode administration and postal infrastructure. States and local governments, working through the Nigerian Governors’ Forum and ALGON, are expected to drive implementation at the community level.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, described the initiative as fundamental to Nigeria’s economic transformation and said it could boost investor confidence. The Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Kingsley Udeh, pledged to coordinate implementation with discipline and purpose.
ALGON President, Mr Bello Lawal, said the initiative would improve national security, citizen identification, financial inclusion, local planning and revenue generation, while helping ensure that every Nigerian and legitimate enterprise can be reliably located.
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