NIS to introduce emergency passport for Nigerians abroad

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has announced plans to introduce a Single Travel Emergency Passport (STEP) as part of efforts to strengthen identity management and enhance border governance in line with global standards.

The Comptroller-General of Immigration, Kemi Nandap, disclosed this at the Joint Thematic Meeting of the Khartoum, Rabat and Niamey Processes, co-hosted by Nigeria and the Government of France.

In a statement by the Service Public Relations Officer (SPRO), Akinsola Akinlabi, on Wednesday in Abuja, Nandap said that the new document would replace the existing Emergency Travel Certificate (ETC).

The NIS CG said that it would also serve as a temporary, single-entry travel document for Nigerians abroad whose passports have expired, been lost or stolen, enabling them to return home in a secure and verifiable manner.

She explained that STEP would be issued at designated Nigerian embassies and consulates and forms a key component of the service’s reform agenda targeted at modernising migration systems and improving service delivery.

She said, “The initiative aligns with the Service’s commitment to robust identity protection, efficient consular support and enhanced border management capabilities,”

Mrs Nandap who delivered a keynote address titled “Insights on Prevention and Protection as Strategic Pillars to Effective Law Enforcement and Prosecution Responses, the Nigeria Immigration Service Perspective,” outlined the ongoing reforms to combat irregular migration.

She said that the NIS was prioritising enhanced border governance, improved migration management systems, targeted capacity building and stronger international collaboration to combat smuggling of migrants and trafficking in persons.

Mrs Nandap reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to regional and global migration dialogue platforms.

She also stressed that the NIS would continue to align policies and operations with international best practices to ensure orderly, safe and regular migration.

The meeting brought together major stakeholders in migration governance.

This includes representatives of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), ECOWAS, African Union (AU), European Union (EU), as well as African and European nations.

The engagement focused on strengthening coordinated prevention, protection and prosecution approaches to migrant smuggling and trafficking in persons across key African and European migration routes.

(NAN)