Nigeria Moves to Establish Digitised National Addressing System -Shettima.

The Federal Government has moved to establish a digitised national addressing system aimed at improving the identification of communities, businesses and locations across Nigeria.

Vice President Kashim Shettima disclosed this on Monday in Abuja while chairing a meeting of the National Addressing Council, where the council ratified a preliminary framework for the initiative.

Shettima said the proposed system would provide a trusted framework for locating citizens, businesses and places while supporting government services, security, commerce and emergency response.

He also directed that the digital addressing framework be designed to work with existing national digital systems, particularly identity and government databases.

According to him, linking verified identities with verified addresses could improve financial inclusion, social interventions, logistics, planning and emergency response.

Under the framework, the Federal Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation will serve as the secretariat of the council and coordinate technical implementation, systems integration and standards.

The National Identity Management Commission will handle individual address verification and authentication, while the Corporate Affairs Commission will support the verification of business addresses.

The Nigerian Postal Service will retain responsibility for postcode administration and postal infrastructure, while states and local governments are expected to drive implementation at the community level. 

The Vice President said the system must serve both rural communities and major cities, stressing that an effective addressing system should connect citizens and businesses to government services and economic opportunities.

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, described the initiative as fundamental to Nigeria’s economic transformation and said it could help improve investor confidence.