Nigeria is set to replace the Emergency Travel Certificate (ETC) with the launch of the Nigerian Temporary Passport for Nigerians whose National Passports are not available but are desirous to return to the country.
The Emergency Travel Certificate (ETC) which has been replaced, was issued to Nigerians whose passports have expired or who legitimately lose their passports while abroad on visits and resident Nigerians abroad, to enable them return to Nigeria.
While launching the Temporary Passport (NTP) at the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) Headquarters, Tuesday 9th March, 2021, the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, said the Temporary Passport is a new genre of Passport that will be issued at the Nigerian Embassies/High Commissions outside the country to Nigerians desirous of returning home but whose national passport is not available.
He stated that the Temporary Passport is a travel document designed for a one-way travel to Nigeria only, adding that the new document replaces the hitherto Emergency Travel Certificate (ETC) which was issued to Nigerians in emergency situations for the purpose of returning home.
He maintained that the Temporary Passport is International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) compliant and is valid for only 30 days before the date of travel and it is not in any way a replacement for the Nigerian Passport as it will only serve a temporary purpose in the case of loss or misplacement of the Nigerian Passport by a Nigerian abroad.
For his part, the Comptroller General of Immigration Service, Muhammad Babandede, stated that the replaced Emergency Travel Certificate was a huge security threat to Nigeria and the global community because it was an ordinary paper devoid of necessary security features of a travel document.
He, however, said that the Temporary Passport replacing it is a catalyst to Nigerians desire for effective identity management as it has a chip and surface personalization which is an enhancement of the current Electronic Passport Management System (EPMS).
