IMMIGRATION SERVICE TO INTRODUCE SINGLE TRAVEL EMERGENCY PASSPORT FOR NIGERIANS ABROAD
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has announced plans to introduce a Single Travel Emergency Passport (STEP) — a new biometric travel document designed to assist Nigerians abroad whose passports are expired, lost, or stolen to return home securely and verifiably.
The Comptroller-General of Immigration (CGI), Kemi Nanna Nandap, disclosed this during the Joint Thematic Meeting of the Khartoum, Rabat, and Niamey Processes, co-hosted by Nigeria and the Government of France in Abuja.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by the Service’s Public Relations Officer, ACI Akinsola Akinlabi, Nandap said the new travel document will replace the existing Emergency Travel Certificate (ETC) as part of the Service’s ongoing reforms to strengthen identity management and border governance in line with global best practices.
According to her, “The STEP will serve as a temporary travel document for Nigerians abroad whose passports are expired, lost, or stolen, enabling them to return home in a secure and verifiable manner.”
She explained that the STEP will be issued only at designated Nigerian embassies and consulates abroad and will be valid for a single entry into the country, reinforcing the Service’s commitment to efficient service delivery and robust identity protection.
The high-level migration forum brought together key stakeholders, including the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), NAPTIP, ECOWAS, African Union (AU), European Union (EU), and representatives from various African and European countries.
The meeting focused on strengthening collaboration to combat migrant smuggling and human trafficking, with particular emphasis on prevention, protection, and prosecution along major migration routes.
Delivering a keynote address titled “Insights on Prevention and Protection as Strategic Pillars to Effective Law Enforcement and Prosecution Responses,” the CGI outlined the NIS’s broader reform agenda aimed at improving migration management systems, international cooperation, and capacity building.
“The Nigeria Immigration Service remains committed to aligning its policies and operations with international standards to ensure safe, orderly, and regular migration across borders,” the statement added.
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