In Nigeria today, many
people are not aware that there is what we call Postcode. Most of the time, they mistake it for phone code. Some
months ago, a Nigerian student, who was filling a form online, was asked to
provide his area’s postcode. He supplied +23401 for Lagos, I poked him with my
finger shouting nooooo! That is just a phone code and not a postcode. Also many
Nigerians have also been purchasing one thing or the other on the internet and
when they are asked to supply their postcode, they make the same mistake by
supplying the phone code. And then we felt strucked by the need to eliminate
this misinformation as not much had been done by the appropriate authority
(NIPOST) to sensitize the people of Nigeria on this embarrassing menace.
Though, maybe something may have been done on this, well we are yet to start
seeing them on the internet where it is mostly required. We expect some jingles
on the radio and television, advert on most used Nigerian websites etc. to
sensitise the people on the meaning, purpose, importance and use of the
postcode system.
WHAT
IS POSTCODE?
Firstly, I will like to
let you know that postcode, ZIP code, ZIP and postal code are all meaning same
thing. In this article, we will prefer using postcode. Postcode is simply a
code of letters and digits added to a postal address to aid in the sorting of
mail. Better still, it is a system of code numbers assigned by the postal service to be used
as part of the mailing address. Such a code number, typically consisting of
five digits, although often expanded to nine.
The efforts by the
Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) to introduce postcode system in Nigeria are a
great milestone aimed at improving the efficiency of mail delivery in the
country. The country has been delineated into exclusive Postcode Areas with
each identified by a district postcode. The delineation criteria were
determined solely for the convenience of mail delivery, which of course is
non-political, therefore it is not a legal tender.
The Nigerian Postcode
System is a six digit code of the form 102102, where the first three digits
represent the dispatch component and the last three digits represent the
delivery component. The system further divides Nigeria into nine Postcode
Zones, with each identified by figures one
to nine in the first digit. A
Postcode Zone is further divided into Postcode Areas, each of which is
identified by a postcode. These Postcode Areas exhaust the country spatially
and exclusively. Thus every part of the country is identified by some postcode.
Examples of postcodes
of some major cities in some states of Nigeria were as follows:
|
STATE
|
AREA
|
COMPOUND/STREET
|
POSTCODE
|
|
LAGOS
|
Lekki
|
Poka, Lekki, Oko
Oba, Ebute Lekki, Okegelu, Olomowewe, Folu etc.
|
105102
|
|
|
Ikorodu
|
Ipakodo, Ebute
ikorodu
|
104282
|
|
|
Ikeja
|
Ogba, Alausa,
Oregun, Acme Road/Street, Agidingbi, Alausa Police Barrack, Awolowo Way,
Ikorodu Road etc
|
100212
|
|
KWARA
|
Ilorin (Rural)
|
Airport, Zarumi,
Temidire, Sobi-Rock, Oke-Ogun, Odo-Ota, Galadima, Balogun Fulani
|
240101
|
|
|
Ilofa/Odo-Owa
|
Ilofa, Odo-Owa
|
252101
|
|
|
Emir’s Palace
|
Emir Rd,
Agbabiaka Str, Gambari Rd, Railway Line, Mayaki Line etc.
|
240211
|
|
EDO
|
Uromi
|
Amedokhian,
Egbele, Eguare-Uromi, Obedu, Onewa, Utako etc
|
311115
|
|
|
Auchi
|
Akpekpe, Usogun,
Aibotse etc.
|
312101
|
|
|
Eguadase/Ogboka/Uhumwuidumwu/Ikema/Okedu/Igbesamwan/G.R.A.
|
Ikpeba Rd, Upper
Uwa, Esigu Str, Efomo Otofure Str etc.
|
300231
|
|
ENUGU
|
Nsukka
|
Ihe/Owerre,
Nkpunano and Nru
|
410101
|
|
|
Airport/Gabon
Village
|
Abakaliki Hwy,
Airport Rd, Lake Nawfia St.
|
400222
|
|
|
Independent
Layout/UNN
|
Hill View Avenue,
Nkpokiti st, Pioneer Avenue, Presidential Rd, Custom Rd etc.
|
400241
|
|
KANO
|
Kabo
|
Dan Maliki,
Durun, Kabo, Kanya, Katsinawa, Kazo, Wari
|
704103
|
|
|
Post Office /Fagge
/ Abubakar Rimi KT /Ibrahim Taiword/Bello Dandago/Sani Abacha Stadium
|
Abba Gana St, Ado
Bayero, Bank Rd, Civil Rd, Fagge A/B/C/D/D2/Takudu etc.
|
700213
|
|
|
Sabon Gari/No
Man’s Land/Waje
|
Aba Av, Abeokuta
Av, Abuja Rd, Airport Road, Akure Str, Awolowo Av, Azikiwe Av, Beirut Rd,
Benin St, etc.
|
700271
|
|
FCT
|
Central Business
District
|
2nd, 3rd
and 4th Avenue, Abuja Drive,Ahmadu Bello Way, Constitution Av,
Olusegun Obasanjo Way, etc.
|
900211
|
|
|
Maitama
|
Akore Crescent,
Amsterdam St, Barawa St, Orange Crescent, Asa Str, Challawa Crescent, Lake
Chard Crescent, etc
|
900271
|
If
you need more information about the postcode of your area, state and Nigeria as
a whole, it is readily available. Please contact us here.
