Gbenga Sodeinde in Ado Ekiti
Ekiti State’s long-standing repute as Nigeria’s centre of academic excellence has earned it the chance to change into one of many pioneer states to implement the federal authorities’s National Digital Alphanumeric Postcode Project, Governor Biodun Oyebanji has stated.
The governor stated the Nigerian Postal Service’s resolution to pick out Ekiti for the pilot part of the nationwide digital addressing programme recognised the state’s mental power, digital readiness, and dedication to innovation-driven governance.
Speaking on the stakeholder engagement and inception workshop on the macro ground-truthing of the National Digital Alphanumeric Postcode and Enterprise Addressing Management System in Ado-Ekiti, Oyebanji, who was represented by the programme’s focal particular person, Olusanmi Akintobi, described the initiative as one other milestone in Ekiti’s transformation right into a knowledge-based digital financial system.
He stated the undertaking would modernise public administration, enhance service supply and create a dependable digital addressing infrastructure able to supporting schooling, analysis, innovation, funding and financial progress. According to him, the prevailing postcode system has change into insufficient as a result of it grouped 1000’s of properties below a single code, making it tough for emergency responders, companies, authorities companies and residents to determine exact areas.
“The Digital Postcode is the foundation upon which modern digital services thrive. Every digital service begins with a verifiable address. This project will unlock innovation and further position Ekiti as a leading digital economy,” he stated.
The governor recommended NIPOST for selecting Ekiti as a pioneer state and praised the Ekiti State Data Centre for offering the technical help that made the partnership potential. He reaffirmed his administration’s dedication to the initiative by way of sustained political help, funding in digital infrastructure and institutional reforms designed to strengthen land administration and digital governance.
Oyebanji listed the anticipated positive factors as quicker emergency response, improved city planning, environment friendly tax administration, social safety, poverty mapping, electoral logistics, geo-marketing, and expanded digital financial alternatives.
Earlier, the Postmaster-General of the Federation and Chief Executive Officer of NIPOST, Tola Odeyemi, represented by Abdulwakil Jamiu, stated Ekiti was intentionally chosen as a pioneer state due to its broadly acknowledged report in academic development, mental improvement and progressive governance.
She described the Digital Alphanumeric Postcode Project as a transformative nationwide infrastructure that might redefine how Nigerians entry authorities providers, conduct enterprise and take part in the digital financial system. According to her, the nationwide rollout started on October 1, 2026, following Federal Executive Council approval, with Ekiti among the many first states to implement it due to its readiness and confirmed institutional capability.
She urged governments, conventional rulers, group leaders, know-how innovators and personal sector operators to help the validation of deal with knowledge to make sure that each constructing and resident is captured in the brand new nationwide addressing database.
In his welcome deal with, the Executive Secretary of the Ekiti State Bureau of Lands, Kayode Ojo, stated the state’s collaboration with NIPOST started in December 2025, when the Ekiti State Data Centre initiated discussions on the undertaking.
He stated the partnership culminated in Ekiti’s choice as a pilot state in April 2026 after a profitable engagement with NIPOST headquarters and the Federal Executive Council’s approval of the undertaking.
He added that the two-day workshop would validate implementation methods, outline stakeholders’ duties, deal with points regarding road naming and knowledge entry, and produce a draft Memorandum of Understanding, implementation timetable, funds and operational framework forward of area deployment.
