The Postmaster General of the Federation/CEO of the Nigeria Postal Service (NIPOST), Tola Odeyemi, has said adopting an alphanumeric postcode would change the narrative of digital service delivery in Nigeria.
Odeyemi said digital service delivery to homes, government institutions and the private sector cannot remain the same, given the enormous economic benefits the postcode system will bring.
She urged Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to prepare to build smarter digital systems to boost the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and create more job opportunities and wealth distribution.
The NIPOST boss made the remarks at the Digital Economy Complex, Mbora, Abuja, while addressing scores of senior government officials from Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of Government, participating in the September edition of DevsInGovernment, a digital training and transformation programme initiative by the Minister of Communications, Innovations and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani.
Odeyemi spoke on the theme: ‘Beyond the Postcode: building smarter government with location data.’
She praised the Minister for bringing together those who build and run government digital systems, saying the knowledge and wisdom they would gain through the training programme would have far-reaching impacts on Nigeria’s digital service delivery systems.
Odeyemi said, ‘Let’s think about how much of the government’s work depends on location. Delivering a service, responding to an emergency, siting a school or a clinic, targeting an intervention, deciding where infrastructure money should go.
‘In each case, someone has to know where. Too often, that information is incomplete, inconsistent, or simply missing.
‘This is why NIPOST is building the National Digital Alphanumeric Postcode System.
For most people, a postcode still means mail delivery. But location data now underpins e-commerce, financial services, emergency response, urban planning and much more.
‘What we are building is a national location layer, a way for every home, business, school, hospital, farm and public office to be uniquely identified and referenced in digital systems.
‘Once that layer exists, questions that are hard to answer today become much simpler. Where is the family receiving this benefit? Which community does this health centre serve? Where exactly is the emergency?
‘Where are the gaps in roads, power or water that need investment? Better answers to those questions mean better decisions and better services for citizens.’
She said officials should be prepared for the task ahead, as they will be the ones to fix and integrate digital infrastructure systems whenever they break, and commended the government for bringing developers and ICT professionals together under one roof to serve the country.