TheCable

The Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) to provide a framework  for developing the Nigerian postcode ecosystem and infrastructure.

In a statement on Sunday, Franklin Alao, NIPOST general manager, corporate communications, said the agreement was reached at an event which held at the NASRDA head office in Abuja.

He said the memorandum also seeks to maximise skills, knowledge and responses in the realisation of the postcode objectives.

Alao said a comprehensive postcode was developed by NIPOST, relying on its internal geographers.

He quoted Ismail Adewusi, postmaster-general of the federation, as expressing delight over the collaboration between the two agencies.

Adewusi said a standard postcode would assist the country to enhance efficient socioeconomic planning, security intelligence gathering and provide investors information that will galvanise sustainable resource management.

“One of the critical setback that our nation has faced in the recent time is the issue of tracing all the crazy elements causing so much problems for our nation,” he said.

“Working together with NASRDA will provide the needed succour for our agencies to move nation forward.

“Working with NASRDA will provide us with a platform we need to move our nation forward especially at this critical period when the issue of banditry and of all manners of crimes are prevalent.”

In his remark, Chizea Duben, the acting director-general of NASRDA, said post coding the entire country would aid the national addressing system and bring value to the country.

He said the memorandum is the first he would sign since he assumed office.

Duben hinted that as capital intensive as the project seems, the agency would champion the campaigns to attract international donors whose funds will assist in bringing the dreams of the project to reality.

He said up-to-date satellite imagery of high dimension can be accessed by NIPOST as NASRDA provides key facilitators and professional advice that will assist NIPOST in the development of postcode and addressing dataset, geospatial datasets using Nigeria Sat-1, Nigeria Sat-2, Nigeria Sat-x imageries and customised software.

“NASRDA is known as a data provider agency for all sectors of the economy to enhance their job making it easier, more efficient and cheaper,” he said.

“By this we are helping the economy, reducing what the government is spending to offer service to the society, through which we are impacting in the life of our people.”

Other areas of collaboration between the two agencies include supporting NIPOST to build capacity through transfer of knowledge on IT-based application of remote sensory geographic information system (GIS).