Nigerian Woman Born Without Fingerprints Recounts Struggles With Biometric Systems

A Nigerian woman born without fingerprints has opened up about the difficulties she has faced navigating biometric identification systems in the country, from her Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination to her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) service year and everyday banking transactions.

The woman, who identifies herself on Instagram as J for Jidds, said she first discovered she had the condition in 2017 while registering for her JAMB examination.

She recalled spending an entire day at the registration centre alongside her father as officials struggled repeatedly to capture her fingerprints.

"I stayed there the whole day with my dad. I watched over 200 people register before me. It was — I cried," she said.

She said officials tried several methods in an attempt to make her fingerprints readable, including sand, spirit, methylated spirit, chalk and even watermelon.

"I had to scrub my hand on a stone at a point. And then I got to register," she said.

Even after successfully registering, she said the challenge followed her into the examination hall, where she was sometimes able to authenticate her fingerprint to enter the venue but could not do the same when trying to leave.

She said the difficulties did not end there, resurfacing during her NYSC programme and in routine banking transactions.

"Living in Nigeria without fingerprints has been terrible, honestly. From NYSC to JAMB to the bank, to any other thing that needs biometrics. I always have anxiety. It has been frustrating," she said.

During her service year, she said she had to rely on part of her foot for biometric verification, since the ridges on her toes were also faint.

Beyond the logistical hurdles, the woman said she has also faced misconceptions because of her condition, including being labelled a ritualist by some people.

She identified her condition as adermatoglyphia, a rare disorder marked by the absence or near-absence of the ridges that typically form fingerprints, and questioned why institutions requiring biometric verification have no clear provisions for people living with it.

"If they have knowledge of this issue, why is it that there's no provision for people like us?" she asked.

Responding to such cases, dermatologist Dr Folakemi Cole-Adeife advised people with the condition to seek medical confirmation and obtain documentation that could support an exemption from fingerprint-based biometrics.

She said a consultant dermatologist at a teaching hospital is able to confirm a diagnosis of adermatoglyphia and issue an exemption letter to institutions such as JAMB or other agencies that require fingerprint verification.