‘I had to thumbprint with my feet’: Nigerian woman born without fingerprints shares how it affected her JAMB, NYSC and banking

• Nigerian woman J for Jidds says she was born without fingerprints and faces biometric challenges.

• She struggled with JAMB and later used her foot for NYSC verification.

• JAMB has a special procedure for candidates with biometric abnormalities.

• Her story prompted other Nigerians with similar experiences to speak out.

For most Nigerians, placing a finger on a biometric scanner is such an ordinary part of registration that hardly anyone thinks twice about it. But for J for Jidds (jidds.xo), that simple instruction can turn into a long and frustrating ordeal.

Jidds, a Nigerian woman who says she was born without fingerprints, recently shared how the condition has affected some of the most routine parts of life, including registering for JAMB, participating in NYSC and completing transactions that require biometric verification.

In a video published on her Instagram account, she recalled that her first major encounter with the problem came in 2017, when she went for JAMB registration with her father. 

While other candidates moved through the process, she remained behind as she attempted to get the biometric equipment to recognise her fingers. She said she watched more than 200 people register before her and eventually became so overwhelmed that she cried.

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According to Jidds, officials tried several methods to make the process work. She recalled being asked to get materials such as sand and chalk, while she herself reached the point of considering whether scrubbing her hands could somehow make the scanner detect a print.

JAMB does have a provision for candidates whose fingerprints cannot be captured.

According to the Board's official FAQ, candidates identified as having biometric abnormalities can be handled at its headquarters in Abuja and allowed to take the examination there on the final day of the examination calendar.

The existence of that provision, however, raises another question in Jidds' case: how consistently are candidates with conditions such as adermatoglyphia identified and directed to that alternative at registration centres? 

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Her account suggests that getting the system to recognise that she has a genuine biometric limitation was itself part of the struggle.

Getting registered did not mean the problem was solved. When she returned for the examination, she said the biometric system could sometimes recognise her on entry but fail to recognise her when she tried to check out. 

The uncertainty, she explained, has contributed to the anxiety she feels whenever she has to deal with fingerprint-based identification.

Then came NYSC. Jidds said she eventually resorted to using part of her foot during biometric verification because her fingers could not provide the prints the system required.

“It was not even my toe,” she recalled. “It was, I think, a part of my feet that I used to thumbprint.”

The experience has also extended to banking and other situations where fingerprints are used to confirm identity.

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Instead of assuming the system will accommodate her circumstances, she said she often finds herself having to explain why a fingerprint cannot be provided in the first place.

Jidds described the 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 experiences that sounded strikingly familiar.

One commenter, Raheematr, said she spent roughly two hours trying to complete JAMB biometric verification while other candidates proceeded with their examinations. 

She claimed that someone even suggested putting her hands on a hot car bonnet, but that did not solve the problem. Unable to proceed with JAMB at the time, she said she later gained admission through A-levels. She is currently undergoing NYSC and said she also uses her feet during biometric verification.

Another user, Ugothegogo, recalled struggling with the same issue during NYSC and at an embassy. She said the experience had been a “nightmare” and that seeing another person talk openly about it made her feel recognised.

The conversation also drew a medical perspective. A commenter identified as Foladermadoc, who said they had treated people with the condition, advised anyone experiencing similar problems to see a consultant dermatologist at a teaching hospital. 

According to the commenter, once adermatoglyphia is medically confirmed, the patient can request a letter documenting the condition and seeking exemption from fingerprint biometrics when dealing with JAMB or other institutions.

The commenter said they had written such letters for several people.

Another user, Oluwamesiooa, questioned whether fingerprint verification should remain the only practical option, pointing out that biometric identification can also involve facial images and arguing that Nigeria should continue developing alternative technologies.

Before sharing her experience, Jidds believed she was dealing with an unusually lonely problem. Afterwards, she said, almost 100 people contacted her to say they had encountered similar difficulties.

For a woman who spent years repeatedly explaining why a fingerprint scanner could not identify her, discovering others with the same experience appears to have offered something the machines never could: reassurance that she is not alone.

Her story also highlights a wider challenge as biometric identification becomes increasingly common in Nigeria. 

Technology may make identification faster for most people, but systems still need practical alternatives for those whose physical characteristics do not fit the standard assumptions built into them.