The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) says it will soon 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 safely and verifiably.
This is contained in a statement issued by the Service’s Public Relations Officer, ACI Akinsola Akinlabi, on Wednesday in Abuja.
According to the statement, the Comptroller-General of Immigration (CGI), Mrs. Kemi Nanna Nandap, made this known during the Joint Thematic Meeting of the Khartoum, Rabat, and Niamey Processes, co-hosted by Nigeria and France in Abuja.
Nandap said the introduction of STEP would replace the existing Emergency Travel Certificate (ETC) as part of ongoing reforms aimed at strengthening identity management and border governance in line with global best practices.
She explained that the new document would serve as a temporary travel passport issued at designated Nigerian embassies and consulates abroad, valid for a single entry into Nigeria.
“The STEP will provide a secure and verifiable means for Nigerians abroad whose passports are expired, lost, or stolen to return home,” the statement quoted her as saying.
Nandap added that the initiative underscored the Service’s commitment to efficient service delivery, robust identity protection, and the modernization of travel documentation processes.
The meeting, which brought together representatives of the African Union, ECOWAS, the European Union, NAPTIP, and the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, focused on strengthening collaboration to combat migrant smuggling and human trafficking.
It also emphasized the need for preventive measures, protection of victims, and effective prosecution strategies across regional migration routes.
Delivering her keynote address titled “Insights on Prevention and Protection as Strategic Pillars to Effective Law Enforcement and Prosecution Responses,” the CGI highlighted the Service’s reform agenda geared toward enhancing migration management, international cooperation, and capacity building.
The statement further noted that Nandap reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to regional and global migration dialogues, pledging that the NIS would continue to align its policies and operations with international standards to promote safe, orderly, and regular migration.