The Nigeria Immigration Service has revealed plans to launch a new biometric travel document called the Single Travel Emergency Passport, which will enable Nigerians living overseas who have lost, stolen, or expired passports to safely and legitimately return home.
This was revealed by Comptroller-General of Immigration Kemi Nanna Nandap at the Joint Thematic Meeting of the Khartoum, Rabat, and Niamey Processes, which Nigeria and the French government co-hosted in Abuja.
The Service Public Relations Officer, ACI Akinsola Akinlabi, made this announcement in a statement on Wednesday.
According to Nandap, the STEP will replace the current Emergency Travel Certificate (ETC) as part of NIS’s ongoing reforms “aimed at strengthening Identity Management and Border Governance frameworks in line with global best practices.”
The CGI explained that “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 noted that “the travel document will be issued at designated Nigerian embassies and consulates abroad and valid only for single entry, reinforcing the Service’s commitment to efficient service delivery and robust identity protection.”
The National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, NAPTIP, ECOWAS, AU, EU, and representatives of African and European nations were among the important stakeholders in migration management that attended the meeting.
The high-level forum prioritised prevention, protection, and prosecution throughout regional migratory routes in order to increase cooperation in the fight against human trafficking and migrant smuggling.
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