The Federal Government is set to revamp Nigeria’s addressing system, with plans to reinvigorate the National Addressing Council (NAC) and establish a technical committee to advance national planning, economic development and inclusion financial.

According to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Stanley Nkwocha, the decision was taken at a pre-NAC meeting held on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa.

“Accordingly, a new NAC and technical committee are to be inaugurated next year to drive the country’s agenda on planning, economic and financial inclusion, as well as ensuring an effective national addressing system,” » the statement read in part.

At the meeting, Vice President Kashim Shettima reportedly highlighted the importance of a standardized national addressing system, describing it as essential to improve service delivery, strengthen urban planning and foster economic growth.

The arguments in favor of standardization

Addressing stakeholders, Vice President Shettima highlighted the need for a systematic approach to address decades of infrastructural deficits and ineffective address mapping.

“We cannot solve the challenges of urban planning, service delivery or even basic navigation without establishing a system that creates order.

“A robust addressing system is not just about convenience; it is about national development, security and socio-economic progress. he said.

He noted that the current disorganized addressing system hampers governance, logistics and financial inclusion of millions of Nigerians.

“We live in towns where most houses are numbered randomly or not at all. This doesn’t just make address mapping more difficult: it undermines confidence in address verification, slows emergency responses, and excludes millions of people from financial services. he explained.

Building on past efforts

The Vice President acknowledged the groundwork done seven years ago when the National Addressing System initiative was first introduced.

However, he stressed the need to move from frameworks to concrete implementation.

“It was not a vision to be left in dusty drawers or delayed indefinitely. Addressing is fundamental to our aspirations to become a 21st century economy,” » said Vice President Shettima.

• He highlighted the broader benefits of a standardized addressing system, including improved logistics, improved e-commerce, reliable emergency response and better disaster management.
• According to him, the challenge for government is not to delegate responsibilities but to create synergy between federal, state and local governments.
• He added that political will and technical expertise must work hand in hand to make this initiative a success.

Presentations and strategic orientations

The meeting included presentations from the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST).

• The NIMC presentation focused on improving the national address verification system and creating critical infrastructure for a national addressing database.
• NIPOST’s presentation highlighted efforts to harmonize the address database with the National ZIP Code System while leveraging advanced geolocation technology to map physical addresses across the country.
• Speaking earlier, Senator Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, Deputy Chief of Staff to the President (Office of the Vice President), highlighted the importance of this initiative.
• He noted that leveraging the opportunities of the National Addressing System would accelerate the government’s vision for inclusiveness and economic prosperity, especially for rural Nigerians.

What you need to know

The National Addressing Council was inaugurated in September 2017 by the former Vice President, Professor Yemi Osibajo.

The Council’s mandate was to “develop guidelines and provide strategic direction for the national addressing system” and to “ensure that the policy is revised at the appropriate time, in order to align it with new technologies, policy objectives and socio-economic realities. »

The Council, however, has fallen into a coma since the end of the previous administration.

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