The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has unveiled plans to introduce a Single Travel Emergency Passport (STEP) to replace the current Emergency Travel Certificate, in a move aimed at tightening identity management and improving border governance.
Comptroller-General Kemi Nandap announced the initiative at a high-level migration meeting jointly hosted by Nigeria and France, which brought together African and European migration stakeholders.
According to a statement issued on Wednesday by NIS spokesperson Akinsola Akinlabi, the new STEP document will serve as a temporary, one-time entry passport for Nigerians stranded abroad due to lost, stolen, or expired passports.
Nandap said the passport will be issued at Nigerian embassies and consulates, ensuring that returnees can travel safely and verifiably. “This reform demonstrates our commitment to efficient consular support, robust identity protection and enhanced border management,” she said.
She further highlighted Nigeria’s ongoing efforts to modernise its migration framework, build institutional capacity and deepen international partnerships to tackle migrant smuggling and human trafficking.
The Abuja meeting, attended by representatives from ECOWAS, the African Union, the European Union, NAPTIP, and other migration agencies, focused on coordinated strategies for prevention, protection, and prosecution across migration corridors linking Africa and Europe.
