The Federal Government is set to introduce a Single Travel Emergency Passport (STEP) to replace the existing Emergency Travel Certificate (ETC).
According to a statement issued on Wednesday by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) spokesman, ACI Akinsola Akinlabi, the NIS Comptroller General, Kemi Nanna Nandap, disclosed this at the Joint Thematic Meeting of the Khartoum, Rabat and Niamey Processes, organised and co-hosted by Nigeria in collaboration with the government of France.
The statement said the immigration boss explained that “the forthcoming Single Travel Emergency Passport (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 initiative, according to the NIS, forms part of its ongoing reforms aimed at strengthening identity management and border governance frameworks in line with global best practices.
The high-level meeting convened critical stakeholders in migration management in Nigeria and abroad, including the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), the National Agency for Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and Other Related Matters (NAPTIP), representatives from ECOWAS, AU, and EU, and African and European countries.
“The meeting seeks to reinforce coordinated prevention, protection and prosecution responses to migrant smuggling and trafficking in persons across African and European migration routes among participating migration agencies.
“Serving as a platform for sharing best practices, aligning legal frameworks, and fostering inter-agency cooperation, the forum underscored the importance of collective and sustained action in addressing the root causes of irregular migration and dismantling transnational criminal networks, with emphasis on the protection of the rights of migrants, objects of smuggling, and victims of human trafficking,” the statement added.
Delivering her keynote address titled ‘Insights on prevention and protection as strategic pillars to effective law enforcement and prosecution responses: The Nigeria Immigration Service perspective,’ the comptroller general highlighted part of the service’s comprehensive reform agenda, which also focuses on combating smuggling of migrants and trafficking in persons through enhanced border governance, improved migration management systems, capacity building, and strengthened international collaboration.
“The comptroller general reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to regional and global migration dialogues, emphasising that the Nigeria Immigration Service will continue to align its policies and operations with international standards to ensure safe, orderly, and regular migration across borders,” Akinlabi added.