This state in Nigeria is introducing digital house numbers to fix address chaos
The plan is for every building to get a QR Code that becomes its unique digital ID.
Lagos State is the smallest in Nigeria by far, just 3,345 square kilometres in size. But despite that, it’s also the most crowded, home to over 17 million people, according to Macrotrends.
That kind of population density turns simple tasks like finding an address into daily chaos. Whether you’re delivering a package, rushing someone to the hospital, or trying to track down a tax-evading property owner, getting to the right door in Lagos can feel like guesswork.
To tackle that, the state government has kicked off a new digital house numbering system under what it’s calling the Lagos Identity Project. The plan is for every building: residential, commercial, or mixed-use, to get a unique digital ID. Think QR-coded address plates that are scannable, colour-coded by local government, and tied to verified property data.
But this isn’t just a tech flex. It's meant to fix some very real problems like poor emergency response times, confusing delivery routes, rental fraud, and the massive number of properties currently invisible to the tax system. It’s starting with areas like Ikeja and Eti-Osa, and once tested, it’s expected to roll out across all 57 LGs and LCDAs.
Oluwaseun Bamisile
The Lagos State Government isn’t doing it alone either. It’s working with a private partner, Interspatial, which spent two years mapping the city from the sky. Meanwhile, trained local youth from the Ibile programme will handle the boots-on-the-ground work—literally installing the plates.
It’s a serious upgrade from past attempts like What3Words, which tried to assign three-word codes to global locations. That solution lacked local context and didn’t really catch on. Lagos’ current system feels more rooted in reality, especially for a city that’s been pushing smart solutions like the Cowry transport card and digitised land management.
So why now? Simply put, the old way just doesn’t work anymore. Too many homes are unregistered, and too much money is leaking out of the system. “We’ve had issues ranging from tax evasion to untraceable addresses. This new digital system is the solution,” said Dr. Olajide Babajide, the Special Adviser on e-GIS.
If it works, Lagos might just create the blueprint for how other Nigerian states and even other African cities could rethink urban identification. But getting it right will take more than tech. It’ll take trust, participation, and a whole lot of follow-through.
Oyinebiladou Omemu
