NIGERIAN POSTCODE SYSTEM

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.