The Nigeria Immigration Service has announced plans to launch a Single Travel Emergency Passport (STEP), a new biometric document that will allow Nigerians overseas with expired, lost, or stolen passports to return home safely and with verified identity.
Comptroller-General of Immigration, Kemi Nanna Nandap, revealed the initiative during the Joint Thematic Meeting of the Khartoum, Rabat, and Niamey Processes in Abuja, co-hosted by Nigeria and France.
The announcement was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Service Public Relations Officer, ACI Akinsola Akinlabi.
Nandap explained that STEP will replace the current Emergency Travel Certificate as part of ongoing reforms aimed at strengthening identity management and border control systems in line with global standards.
According to her, the emergency passport will be issued at designated Nigerian embassies and consulates and will be valid for a single entry into Nigeria—underscoring the Service’s commitment to efficient service delivery and strong identity protection.
The meeting brought together major migration stakeholders, including the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and IDPs, NAPTIP, ECOWAS, AU, EU, and officials from various African and European nations. Discussions focused on improving cooperation to tackle migrant smuggling and human trafficking, highlighting prevention, protection, and prosecution efforts along key migration routes.
In her keynote address, titled “Insights on Prevention and Protection as Strategic Pillars to Effective Law Enforcement and Prosecution Responses,” Nandap outlined the NIS’s wider reform strategy, focused on enhancing migration management systems, strengthening international partnerships, and boosting institutional capacity.
The statement added that the Comptroller-General reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to regional and global migration engagements and vowed that the NIS will continue aligning its policies with international best practices to promote safe, orderly, and regular cross-border movement.
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