New STEP document to replace Emergency Travel Certificate, enhance identity management, and ensure safer return for Nigerians overseas….
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has announced plans to introduce a new Single Travel Emergency Passport (STEP) to replace the existing Emergency Travel Certificate (ETC) for Nigerians stranded abroad.
The Comptroller-General of Immigration, Kemi Nanna Nandap, made the announcement during the Joint Thematic Meeting of the Khartoum, Rabat, and Niamey Processes, co-hosted by Nigeria in collaboration with the Government of France.
According to Nandap, the introduction of the STEP is part of the Service’s ongoing reform agenda aimed at strengthening identity management, border security, and migration governance in line with global best practices.
She explained that the new passport will serve as a secure and verifiable temporary travel document for Nigerians abroad whose passports have expired, been lost, or stolen, and will be valid for a single entry into Nigeria.
“The forthcoming Single Travel Emergency Passport (STEP) will enable Nigerians abroad to return home safely in a secure and verifiable manner,” Nandap said.
She emphasized that the initiative demonstrates the NIS’s commitment to efficient service delivery, identity protection, and the modernization of Nigeria’s immigration system.
The event brought together key stakeholders in migration management, including the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), ECOWAS, the African Union (AU), the European Union (EU), and representatives from various African and European countries.
In her keynote address titled “Insights on Prevention and Protection as Strategic Pillars to Effective Law Enforcement and Prosecution Responses,” Nandap also highlighted the Service’s broader reforms focused on combating migrant smuggling and human trafficking through improved border governance, capacity building, migration data systems, and international cooperation.
Reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to regional and global migration frameworks, the Comptroller-General said the Service will continue aligning its operations with international standards to promote safe, orderly, and regular migration across borders.
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