A Nigerian woman identified as J for Jidds has opened up about the difficulties she has faced because she was born without fingerprints, revealing how the condition affected her JAMB registration, NYSC verification and banking activities.
Jidds, who said she has a condition known as adermatoglyphia, shared her experience in a video posted on Instagram. Her story has since prompted other Nigerians with similar biometric challenges to recount their own experiences.
She recalled that her first major challenge occurred in 2017 when she went for JAMB registration with her father.
While other candidates completed their registration, Jidds said she remained at the centre because the biometric equipment could not capture her fingerprints.
She said more than 200 candidates had registered before her, leaving her overwhelmed and eventually in tears as officials tried different ways to get the scanner to recognise her fingers.
According to her, she was asked to use materials including sand and chalk in an attempt to improve the fingerprint capture. She also recalled wondering whether scrubbing her hands could make the scanner detect a fingerprint.
JAMB has a procedure for candidates whose fingerprints cannot be captured. According to the examination body’s official FAQ, candidates identified with biometric abnormalities can be handled at its headquarters in Abuja and permitted to take their examination there on the final day of the examination calendar.
For Jidds, however, the difficulty did not end after completing her registration.
She said the biometric system could sometimes recognise her when she entered an examination venue but fail to recognise her when she attempted to complete the exit verification.
The repeated uncertainty, she explained, has contributed to anxiety whenever she has to use fingerprint-based identification.
Her experience continued during the National Youth Service Corps programme. Jidds said she eventually had to use part of her foot during biometric verification because her fingerprints could not be captured.
“It was not even my toe,” she recalled. “It was, I think, a part of my feet that I used to thumbprint.”
She said similar difficulties have occurred during banking and other processes that require fingerprint verification, forcing her to repeatedly explain why she cannot provide a conventional fingerprint.
Jidds described her condition as adermatoglyphia, a rare condition associated with the absence of the ridge patterns that form fingerprints.
Her disclosure also prompted other Nigerians to share similar experiences.
One commenter, Raheematr, said she spent about two hours attempting to complete JAMB biometric verification while other candidates proceeded with their examinations. She claimed that someone suggested placing her hands on a hot car bonnet, but the attempt did not resolve the problem.
She said she eventually gained admission through A-levels and is now undergoing NYSC, where she also uses her feet during biometric verification.
Another user, Ugothegogo, recalled experiencing similar difficulties during NYSC and at an embassy. She described the experience as a “nightmare” and said Jidds’ story made her feel recognised.
A commenter identified as Foladermadoc, who said they had treated people with the condition, advised people experiencing similar problems to consult a dermatologist at a teaching hospital.
The commenter also said that once the condition is medically confirmed, patients can request documentation from a doctor explaining their condition and seeking exemption from fingerprint-based biometric verification where necessary.
Another user questioned whether fingerprint verification should remain the only practical identification method, noting that biometric systems can also use facial recognition and other technologies.
Jidds said that before sharing her experience publicly, she believed she was dealing with an unusually isolated problem. She claimed that almost 100 people subsequently contacted her to say they had experienced similar challenges.
Her story has drawn attention to the difficulties people with biometric abnormalities can face as fingerprint identification becomes increasingly common across Nigerian institutions and services.
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