The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced plans to introduce a new Single Travel Emergency Passport (STEP) — a temporary travel document designed to replace the existing Emergency Travel Certificate (ETC) for Nigerians stranded abroad.
Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Kemi Nanna Nandap, revealed the development during the Joint Thematic Meeting of the Khartoum, Rabat, and Niamey Processes, co-hosted by Nigeria and France in Abuja.
According to NIS spokesperson ACI Akinsola Akinlabi, the new document will serve as a secure, verifiable, and single-use passport for Nigerians overseas whose passports are expired, lost, or stolen, allowing them to return home safely.
“The forthcoming Single Travel Emergency Passport (STEP) will serve as a temporary travel document for Nigerians abroad whose passports are expired, lost, or stolen, enabling them to return home in a secure and verifiable manner,” Nandap explained.
The STEP initiative forms part of the Service’s broader reform efforts aimed at enhancing identity management and border governance in line with global best practices. It will be issued at designated Nigerian embassies and consulates abroad and will be valid only for a single entry into Nigeria.
The high-level meeting also brought together key migration management stakeholders from across Africa and Europe, including representatives from ECOWAS, the African Union (AU), and the European Union (EU).
The forum emphasized the need for joint action to combat migrant smuggling and human trafficking, address the root causes of irregular migration, and dismantle transnational criminal networks.
In her keynote address titled “Insights on Prevention and Protection as Strategic Pillars to Effective Law Enforcement and Prosecution Responses: The Nigeria Immigration Service Perspective,” Nandap reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to regional and global migration cooperation.
She stressed that the NIS remains focused on strengthening border security, enhancing migration systems, and building capacity through sustained international collaboration, ensuring safe, orderly, and regular migration across borders.
