The Federal Government has ratified a preliminary framework for the actualization of Nigeria’s vision to establish a digitized and modern addressing system capable of locating communities, businesses and households across the country.
The decision was reached at a meeting of the National Addressing Council, NAC, with key stakeholders from the public and private sectors in Abuja, chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima, while under the new arrangement, the Federal Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation will serve as the secretariat of the council to improve coordination, technical implementation and efficiency among participating institutions.
Shettima said the framework was part of the Federal Government’s efforts under the Renewed Hope Agenda to build institutions and digital infrastructure that could respond effectively to the needs of Nigerians.
He said the country needed an addressing system capable of locating every community, supporting businesses and improving government services while protecting citizens’ privacy.
“Our objective should be simple for Nigerians to understand. Wherever a citizen lives, wherever a business operates, wherever help is required, Nigeria should find the address,” Shettima said.
The vice president said a reliable national addressing system would strengthen planning, commerce, security, emergency response and social protection.
He explained that an address was more than a description of where an individual or business was located, describing it as an important link between citizens, government services and economic opportunities.
According to Shettima, the framework must be designed to serve rural communities as effectively as major cities, ensuring that geography does not prevent Nigerians from accessing essential services.
Shettima said the strength of the proposed framework would depend on its ability to connect with other digital public infrastructure, including identity and government databases.
He said securely linking verified identities with verified addresses could improve financial inclusion, social intervention programmes, logistics, development planning and emergency response.
The vice president assigned specific responsibilities to participating agencies, stressing that successful implementation would require strong institutional coordination.
He said the Federal Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation would coordinate technical implementation, systems integration, interoperability and standards.
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The National Identity Management Commission, NIMC, would be responsible for individual verification and authentication, while the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, would support verification of business addresses.
He also identified NIPOST as a key institution for postcode administration and postal infrastructure.
Shettima said state and local governments, working through the Nigerian Governors’ Forum and the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON, would be central to implementation at the community level.
Other institutions expected to contribute include the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, Nigeria Data Protection Commission, Office of the National Security Adviser, Central Bank of Nigeria, Nigerian Communications Commission and representatives of the organized private sector.
He stressed that no single institution could successfully own or operate a system whose effectiveness depended on participation across the federation.
The Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, described the addressing initiative as a fundamental requirement for Nigeria’s economic transformation.
Tunji-Ojo said a reliable addressing system would also provide a stronger foundation for harnessing the potential of Nigerian entrepreneurs and could improve investor confidence in the country.
He urged members of the council to approach the assignment with commitment and ensure that the initiative delivered practical benefits to citizens and businesses.
The Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Kingsley Udeh (SAN), thanked the vice president for providing leadership and bringing the different agencies involved in the process together.
Udeh said previous efforts had been affected by poor coordination and institutional disagreements but expressed optimism that the new approach would enable the country to work towards a common national standard. He pledged to implement the responsibilities assigned to his ministry with discipline, purpose and cooperation.
Director-General of NIMC, Dr Abisoye Coker, said lack of coordination among relevant agencies had previously posed a major challenge to the initiative.
Coker commended the vice president for helping to harmonise the interests of the institutions involved and creating a coordinated approach to the development of the national addressing system.
The President of ALGON, Mr. Bello Lawal, said the initiative could improve national security, strengthen citizen identification and deepen financial inclusion.
Lawal added that a functional national addressing system would support better planning and revenue generation at the local government level while helping authorities account for residents and businesses within their communities.
NAN
