The Federal Government has launched a temporal passport for Nigerians outside the country who desire to return home but cannot access their passport.
Tbe Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola launched the
Nigerian Temporary Passport (NTP) at NIS Headquarters, The Temporary Passport is a new genre of Passport that will be issued
at the Nigerian Embassies/High Commissions outside the country .
A statement by DCI Sunday James,the PRO ,Nigerian Immigration service reports that the Honourable Minister stated that the Temporary Passport is a travel
document designed for a one-way travel to Nigeria only and 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 however maintained that the Temporary Passport is 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.
On his part, he Comptroller General of Immigration Service, Muhammad
Babandede, MFR, 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. However, the Temporary Passport replacing it is a catalyst to
Nigeria’s 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).
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