The Federal Government has launched a nationwide sensitisation campaign for the activation and implementation of a Local Government Proof of Address, POA, system, aimed at improving security, governance, and service delivery at the grassroots level.
The campaign officially commenced during a one-day Northern Geopolitical Stakeholders’ Sensitisation Meeting, organised in collaboration with the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria.
Declaring the event open, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, CON, emphasized the transformative potential of the POA system.
Represented by Engr. Nadungu Gagare, Permanent Secretary in the Political and Economic Affairs Office, Akume said the system will offer every resident a verifiable and secure address, to be integrated across all 774 local government areas in Nigeria.
He described the POA as a critical step in curbing insecurity, promoting accountability, and modernising service delivery in both public and private sectors.
“The POA initiative reflects President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s steadfast commitment to tackling the nation’s key challenges while laying the foundation for a safer, more efficient, and prosperous Nigeria,” he said.
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Speaking on behalf of ALGON, Simon Akala, Special Adviser to the National President, Hon. (Engr.) Bello Lawal, highlighted the role of street naming and numbering in the success of the project.
He noted that, when tied to a centralised address verification database, the POA system will facilitate national identity verification, distribution of voter cards, passports, NIN registration, financial inclusion, and delivery of utility services.
Akala called on traditional rulers, religious and community leaders, civil society groups, and local government officials to champion the initiative and educate their communities on its benefits.
In her goodwill remarks, Mrs. Rose Ismaila, representing Tola Adeyemi, Postmaster General of the Nigerian Postal Service, NIPOST, reaffirmed the agency’s support for the initiative. She stated that NIPOST is actively working with ALGON to synchronize street name datasets with a digital postcode system.
“NIPOST has the mandate to develop a Digital Alpha Numeric Postcode System that ensures every building in Nigeria can be easily identified. This infrastructure will greatly improve service delivery and security nationwide,” she said.
The POA campaign is expected to be a game-changer in governance and development planning, providing a comprehensive framework for residential identification, social services delivery, and national documentation.
The sensitisation drive will continue across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones as the federal government intensifies efforts to make the POA system a standard for public records and citizen verification.
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