The Federal Government has unveiled a national sensitisation campaign to kick-start the implementation of a Local Government-based Proof of Address (POA) System across Nigeria’s 774 Local Government Areas.
The initiative was aimed at improving governance, bolstering security, and enhancing service delivery at the grassroots.
Launched under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, the initiative was officially flagged off during a one-day stakeholders’ sensitisation programme for northern geopolitical stakeholders in Abuja.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Political and Economic Affairs Office, Engr. Nadungu Gagare, said the POA initiative represents a strategic step in the Tinubu administration’s plan to create a more secure and efficient Nigeria.
“The Proof of Address System will provide every resident with a verifiable and secure address, which will be integrated into administrative processes across public and private sectors,” Akume stated. “It is key to addressing security challenges and streamlining grassroots governance.”
According to a statement by the Director Information in the office of the SGF, Segun Imohiosen, the POA System is expected to be rolled out in all local governments, serving as a central database for address verification linked to essential services such as national ID cards, voter registration, passport issuance, and financial inclusion.
Also speaking at the event, the National President of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Hon. Bello Lawal, represented by his Special Adviser, Simon Akala, described the measure as critical national infrastructure.
He said coordinated street naming and house numbering, when linked to a central POA database, would drastically improve access to vital documents and services.
Akala urged traditional rulers, community influencers, civil society groups, and local government officials to support the project, and help drive its implementation in their respective domains.
In a goodwill message, the Postmaster General of the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), Tola Adeyemi, represented by Mrs. Rose Ismaila, affirmed NIPOST’s readiness to deploy a Digital Alpha-Numeric Postcode System across all buildings in Nigeria.
Adeyemi disclosed that the postal agency is working with ALGON to align street naming data with postcodes as part of its mandate to build a functional national addressing system.
