Woman born without fingerprints recounts JAMB, NYSC biometric struggles

A Nigerian woman, known on Instagram as J for Jidds, has shared her struggles with biometric identification systems in Nigeria due to her rare condition, adermatoglyphia, which causes the absence of fingerprints. She discovered her condition in 2017 while registering for her first Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board examination.

The registration process was challenging as officials were unable to capture her fingerprints, leading her to spend hours at the registration center with her father. J recounted her experience, saying, "I stayed there the whole day with my dad. I watched over 200 people register before me. It was—I cried." She recounted the methods officials suggested, including using various substances to make her fingerprints readable, but none worked.

This condition also affected her National Youth Service Corps program, requiring her to use footprints due to faint ridges on her toes. J expressed frustration about living without fingerprints in a country that heavily relies on biometric verification. She questioned why institutions still lack provisions for people with her condition, identifying it as adermatoglyphia.

A dermatologist confirmed that people with this condition can seek medical confirmation and obtain an exemption letter for fingerprint biometrics.