Back in the days when I started using the internet, if you ask me for the postal code of any Nigerian state, I will tell you it is +234. Even when filling an online form that’s the code I supply. Later, I get to discover that +234 is wrong. It is our international dial code. Postal codes in Nigeria are another thing entirely, and each state in the country has its unique number.
In this post, you will get the full details of how postal codes in Nigeria work and the lists of all the codes for each state.
History of Postal Codes in Nigeria & Why They Are Needed
When you want to send or receive mail, parcels, and other legal packages, aside from the address of the recipient, a postal code is always required. In the United States, instead of calling it “Postal Codes,” it is called “ZIP Codes,” and that’s the reason that when filling forms online you are asked for your ZIP code. This is because such website developers are American and they use their language. Nevertheless, if you are filling an online form, and you are asked for your ZIP codes, just supply the postal codes in Nigeria.
Regarding the history of the codes in Nigeria, it was during the time of President Ibrahim Babangida that Nigeria was divided into the six geopolitical zones, based on the shared ethnicity, background, and cultural practise and history. The divisions are as follow.
- North East
This region is made up of mainly the Kanuri ethnic group. The states in the region include Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, and Yobe.
- North West
This region is made up of mainly the Hausa Fulani ethnic group, and the states in the region include Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, and Zamfara.
- The North Central
This region is also called the middle belt, and it is made up of mainly the Tiv ethnic group. It has the largest number of states and includes the Federal Capital Territory. The states in the region include Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nassarawa, Niger, and Plateau.
- The South East
This region is predominantly made up of the Igbo ethnic group. Its states include Abia, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, and Imo.
- South-South
This region is made up of the Ijaw ethnic group. Its states include Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, and Rivers.
- South West
This region is dominated by the Yorubas. It states include Ekiti, Oyo, Ogun, Lagos, Osun and Ondo.
The division facilitates easy allocation of human resource and easy postal service delivery. It makes it possible to ship and order products and parcels. To ensure successful shipping, the postal department uses the postal codes in Nigeria, allowing workers able to cope buy propecia online india with large inflows of mails.
How the Codes Were Designed
Although we have six geopolitical zones, the Nigerian Postal Service, the organisation in charge of sending and receiving mails in the country divides Nigeria into nine regions. Each region has a unique first digit, but the number of digits in total for all states in Nigeria is six. The postal codes in Nigeria don’t have alphabets.
In our postal codes, the first digit is regional, while the last three digits represent the delivery location (that’s the neighbouring post office). In most states in the country, there are more than one post offices, but the head office in the state usually have an ending code of 0001.
Below are the full postal codes in Nigeria for each state in the country.
State Code
Abia – 440001
Adamawa – 640001
Akwa Ibom – 520001
Anambra – 420001
Bauchi – 740001
Bayelsa – 561001
Benue – 970001
Borno – 600001
Cross River – 540001
Delta – 320001
Ebonyi – 840001
Edo – 300001
Ekiti – 360001
Enugu – 400001
Gombe – 760001
Imo – 460001
Jigawa – 720001
Kaduna – 700001
Kano – 800001
Katsina – 820001
Kebbi – 860001
Kogi – 260001
Kwara – 240001
Lagos (Mainland/Island) – 100001/101001
Nasarawa – 962001
Niger – 920001
Ogun – 110001
Ondo – 340001
Osun – 230001
Oyo – 200001
Plateau – 930001
Rivers – 500001
Sokoto – 840001
Taraba – 660001
Yobe – 320001
Zamfara – 860001
FCT – 900001
Getting the Specific Code of Your Location
The above postal codes are the ones of the headquarters, as the codes end with 0001. Since the headquarters of the Nigerian Post Service may not be in your local government or be close to you even if it is in your local government, you may want to find the specific code of the closest post office to you. The following is how to find the code of any specific location.
- Open your favourite browser and go to Nigeria Post Code — that’s the official website for finding all postal codes in Nigeria.
- When you land on the website, use the drop-down option in front of the option that says State for looking for the state you want to send or receive the package
- Then use the Town option to select a town, and the Area option to select a specific area.
- Finally, use the Street option to select the closest street to the location and tap on GET POSTCODE.
The postcode of the area would be displayed.
That’s how to get postal codes in Nigeria. Don’t ever use +234 as your postcode again!
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