The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has disclosed plans to introduce a Single Travel Emergency Passport (STEP).
The announcement was made by the Comptroller-General of Immigration (CGI), Kemi Nanna Nandap, during a joint thematic meeting focused on migration.
The NIS’s move is part of its comprehensive reform agenda, strengthening identity management and border governance frameworks to align with global best practices.
The STEP initiative is designed to replace the existing Emergency Travel Certificate (ETC) and will serve as a temporary travel document for Nigerians abroad whose passports are expired, lost, or stolen. This new biometric emergency document will enable them to return home in a secure and verifiable manner.
The CGI explained that the travel document will be issued at designated Nigerian embassies and consulates abroad and will be valid only for a single entry, reinforcing the Service’s commitment to efficient service delivery and robust identity protection.
The announcement followed the CGI’s participation in the Joint Thematic Meeting of the Khartoum, Rabat, and Niamey Processes, which was organized and co-hosted by Nigeria in collaboration with the Government of France.
The high-level meeting convened critical stakeholders in migration management, including the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internal Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), the National Agency for Prohibition of Traffic in Persons (NAPTIP), and representatives from ECOWAS, the African Union (AU), the European Union (EU), African, and European countries.
The meeting sought to reinforce coordinated prevention, protection, and prosecution responses to Migrant Smuggling and Trafficking in Persons across African and European migration routes.
Serving as a platform for sharing best practices and aligning legal frameworks, the forum underscored the importance of collective and sustained action in addressing the root causes of irregular migration, dismantling transnational criminal networks, and protecting the rights of victims of human trafficking.
Delivering her keynote address, titled “Insights on Prevention and Protection as Strategic Pillars to Effective Law Enforcement and Prosecution Responses,” the Comptroller-General highlighted the Service’s focus on combating these crimes 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, emphasizing 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.
