...Governor hails NIPOST partnership, lists benefits for security, revenue generation, emergency response
By Editor
Ekiti State has emerged as a pioneer in Nigeria’s digital addressing initiative, with Governor Biodun Oyebanji pledging his administration’s full support for the implementation of the National Digital Alphanumeric Postcode Project.
Oyebanji stated this at a stakeholder engagement and inception workshop on the macro ground-truthing of the National Digital Alphanumeric Postcode and statewide Enterprise Addressing Management Systems, held in Ado-Ekiti.
Represented by the programme’s focal person, Mr Olusanmi Akintobi, the governor described the initiative as a major step towards digital transformation, with the potential to improve public service delivery, urban planning, connectivity and economic development.
He commended the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) for selecting Ekiti as one of the pioneer pilot states, while acknowledging the technical contributions of the Ekiti State Data Centre to the initiative.
The governor said the collaboration demonstrated the importance of federal-state partnerships in driving innovation and building an efficient digital economy.
He observed that the conventional postcode system had created administrative difficulties by assigning a single code to thousands of addresses, making it challenging to identify specific locations accurately.
According to him, the limitation had implications for emergency response, business operations, government administration and residents' access to location-dependent services.
The new digital alphanumeric postcode system, approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), is designed to assign unique, machine-readable and human-readable codes to streets, buildings and settlements, thereby improving address identification and management.
Oyebanji reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to providing the political will, institutional backing, investment in the State Data Centre and governance framework required to ensure the project’s successful implementation.
He said the initiative aligned with the state’s digital economy development and land administration reform agenda, adding that its successful implementation would support improved emergency response, tax administration, urban and regional planning, geo-marketing, social protection, poverty mapping, electoral logistics and digital economic growth.
“Every digital service needs an address. The Digital Postcode will unlock innovation and position Ekiti as a hub for the digital economy,” he said.
The governor described the workshop as an important platform for refining field data collection tools, finalising governance and communication protocols, and addressing local implementation challenges ahead of field operations.
Earlier, the Postmaster-General of the Federation and Chief Executive Officer of NIPOST, Mrs Tola Odeyemi, represented by Mr Abdulwakil Jamiu, described the project as a significant milestone in Nigeria’s digital transformation journey.
She characterised the initiative as a critical digital infrastructure that would reshape how Nigerians live, work and access essential services.
Odeyemi disclosed that the nationwide rollout commenced on October 1, 2026, explaining that Ekiti was selected as a pioneer state because of its reputation for educational advancement, intellectual development and progressive governance.
She listed improved security, emergency response, e-commerce, logistics, revenue administration and financial inclusion among the expected benefits of the initiative.
The NIPOST chief urged stakeholders across the three tiers of government, traditional institutions, private businesses and technology firms to support the validation of address data to ensure that no building or resident was left out of the exercise.
In his welcome address, the Executive Secretary of the Ekiti State Bureau of Lands, Mr Kayode Ojo, traced the state's partnership with NIPOST to December 2025, when the Ekiti State Data Centre expressed interest in collaborating with the postal service.
He explained that a follow-up visit to NIPOST headquarters took place in January 2026, while Ekiti was formally accepted as a pilot state in April of the same year.
Ojo added that the project had received FEC approval, following an earlier pilot exercise in Abuja which he described as successful.
He said the two-day workshop was designed to present the project's roadmap, methodology, implementation timeline and expected outcomes, while validating the pilot scope and clarifying the responsibilities of participating stakeholders.
The sessions would also address data access, street naming and community engagement, alongside the establishment of implementation committees and the adoption of an agreed work schedule.
Expected deliverables include a draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), a work plan and budget, communication protocols, field checklists, operational workflows and escalation procedures.
The workshop is also expected to provide a clearer understanding of local implementation challenges and establish immediate priorities before field operations begin.
Traditional rulers, community representatives, technical partners, representatives of ministries, departments and agencies, local governments and other stakeholders attended the engagement.
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