The Federal Government has launched the Nigerian Temporary Passport (NTP).
Okay.ng understands that the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, introduced the new travel document at the headquarters of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) in Abuja.
According to Aregbesola, the NTP will be issued at Nigerian embassies and high commissions to Nigerians who want to return home but whose national passport is not available.
The minister also disclosed that the temporary passport is ICAO compliant and it is valid for only 30 days before the date of travel.
He noted that the NTP does not replace the Nigerian passport.
The Comptroller General of Immigration Service, Muhammad Babandede, MFR, speaking on the new development 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).
