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 abroad.
Comptroller-General of Immigration, Kemi Nandap, disclosed this 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 initiative is part of ongoing reforms aimed at strengthening identity management and border governance frameworks in line with global best practices.
In a statement on Wednesday, the NIS Public Relations Officer, Deputy Comptroller of Immigration, Akinsola Akinlabi, said the high-level meeting 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), and representatives from ECOWAS, the African Union, the European Union, as well as African and European countries.
The forum focused on improving coordination in the prevention, protection, and prosecution of migrant smuggling and human trafficking cases, while also emphasizing the protection of victims and vulnerable migrants.
In her keynote address titled “Insights on Prevention and Protection as Strategic Pillars to Effective Law Enforcement and Prosecution Responses – The NIS Perspective,” Nandap outlined the Service’s reform agenda, which includes enhanced border governance, improved migration management systems, capacity building, and stronger international partnerships.
She explained that the new Single Travel Emergency Passport will serve as a temporary, verifiable document for Nigerians abroad whose passports have expired, been lost, or stolen—allowing them to return home safely. The passport, she added, will be issued by designated Nigerian embassies and consulates abroad and will be valid for a single entry only.
Nandap reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to regional and global migration dialogues, pledging that the NIS will continue to align its policies and operations with international standards to ensure safe, orderly, and regular migration across borders.
