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Nigerians have started finding and sharing their new digital postcodes following the launch of the Federal Government’s National Digital Alphanumeric Postcode System, with early users reporting both accurate locations and problems identifying their buildings.
The system, launched nationwide through the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) on October 1, uses Geographic Information System (GIS) technology to provide an 11-character alphanumeric postcode for addressable buildings and locations across Nigeria.
A quick check by Nairametrics showed that Nigerians have had mixed experiences while testing the system, with some sharing their findings on X.
Nigerians begin finding their new postcodes
Bolaji Fesomade, a business strategist and investment analyst who posts on X as @MasterBolaji, said the system accurately identified his location after he entered his street.
- “That postcode would be one of the biggest achievements of this administration. It’s insanely accurate. I entered my street & got the EXACT location,” he wrote.
Another user, Asiwaju Oladimeji, a PhD student who posts as @AsiwajuOladimej, said he had successfully checked the postcode of his house and found the process straightforward.
- “The Nigeria Digital Postcode is live. I just checked the postcode of my house now. It is simple. Just log in to postcode.gov.ng and click on “Find your postcode” and enable your location. Simple and fast,” he wrote.
Noah Sulaimon, a pastor and founder of First Assured, a business compliance access platform, also said he had checked his postcode.
- “I have just checked my postcode now; I am impressed that this is actually coming to reality. Kudos to the minister @bosuntijani; this is a great initiative. I am of the opinion that a functioning address system will boost our logistics eco system,” he wrote.
Dr. Calafiori, a medical doctor who posts as @fimiletoks, similarly said his postcode accurately identified his location.
- “My postcode is very accurate. If anyone asks for my address going forward, I will simply share the postcode,” he wrote.
Some users reported problems
Other Nigerians testing the system reported difficulties with the information returned for their locations.
Bishop Adamu-Chitumu, who posts on X as @BishopOneMagic, said the postcode assigned to his home appeared to be the same as the one assigned to a neighbouring house.
- “Unfortunately, I checked mine and it was wrong. Mine and the house next to it have duplicate postcodes,” he shared.
Another user, David Stephen, posting as @davestrokes, said his actual house did not appear when he tried to find his postcode.
- “Obviously doesn’t work as they said. Just tried it and my actual house has no postcode. I was asked to select from a bunch of nearer houses,” he wrote.
A user identified as Only Good News, posting as @Paytriort, said the system did not yet return a postcode for his location in Oyo.
- “The postcode does not exist in my Oyo town yet. I guess this is only meant for the urban areas,” he shared.
Bosun Tijani responds to complaints
After some users reported having problems, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, responded.
He advised users to ensure their phones’ location services are enabled before searching for their postcode.
- “Before finding your postcode, please make sure your phone’s location is switched on so the system can accurately identify where you are,” he wrote on X.
NIPOST’s official guidance says users can allow access to their current location to help find the postcode of the building where they are.
How to find your new digital postcode
To find their postcode, NIPOST says users can use the National Digital Postcode website or app, select “Find My Postcode,” allow location access and select their building on the map.
The postcode is then displayed for the selected building.
The agency advises users to confirm that they have selected the correct building because neighbouring buildings can have different building-level postcodes.
The new postcode is assigned to a specific addressable building, rather than to an individual. NIPOST describes it as a unique 11-character code for identifying an addressable building and its location.
What happens if the information linked to a postcode is wrong?
NIPOST allows users to report incorrect information linked to a postcode and request that it be corrected.
The agency says users can suggest changes to details such as the address, structure type, building use, ownership and photographs associated with a location.
To make a correction, users can search for their postcode in the app, open the postcode details and tap Edit. They can then select the information that needs to be changed, enter the correct details and submit the request for review.
NIPOST says the correction can be completed within 48 hours.
