The federal government has been urged to urgently modernise Nigeria’s immigration and passport management system by fully embracing digital technologies, as countries across Europe and North America phase out traditional passport stamping in favour of electronic border processing.
The call was made by Nigerian travel enthusiast and global nomad, Ogundana Mcdolly, popularly known as The9jaboy, following his recent travel experience through Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, France.
Mcdolly said his arrival in Paris on May 23, 2026, marked a turning point in his understanding of global travel systems, as he discovered that the European Entry/Exit System had fully replaced physical passport stamps with digital records.
According to him, instead of receiving the familiar Schengen entry stamp in his Nigerian passport, his movement was automatically captured and stored electronically, reflecting a broader shift toward paperless immigration systems.
He described the development as the “end of an era,” noting that passport stamps, once cherished as travel souvenirs, are gradually being phased out in advanced economies.
Mcdolly observed that while many global travellers see stamps as mere ink marks, Nigerian passport holders often regard them as symbols of achievement, reflecting the challenges of securing visas and crossing strict immigration barriers.
He said, “As the most travelled Nigerian using a Nigerian passport, with over 1,000 visa entry and exit stamps across my passports, each stamp represented a hurdle crossed and a story captured.”
He explained that the shift to digital immigration records could ease the burden on frequent Nigerian travellers who often exhaust passport pages due to repeated visa endorsements and entry stamps.
According to him, electronic systems would help extend the lifespan of passports by eliminating the need for physical stamping, turning the document into a more durable identity tool rather than a constantly filled travel ledger.
However, Mcdolly also expressed concern about the cultural loss associated with the disappearance of passport stamps, which he described as visual records of personal journeys, resilience, and mobility.
He noted that while Europe and North America are advancing rapidly with digital border systems, many developing countries, including Nigeria, still rely heavily on manual immigration processes.
Mcdolly urged Nigerian authorities to study global trends and adopt modern, efficient, and secure border management systems in line with international best practices.
He, however, acknowledged that despite the emotional attachment to passport stamps, digital systems offer significant advantages, including improved efficiency, enhanced security, and reduced human error in immigration processing.
