By Capital Watch Media
Persons affected by leprosy in Ogun State have decried their exclusion from Nigeria’s National Identification Number, NIN, registration process, describing the situation as a devastating form of marginalisation.
Jimoh Ahmed, Chairman of the Integrated Dignity Economic Advancement group, revealed that the inability of members to register for NIN has led to blocked bank accounts and disconnected phone lines.
“People affected with leprosy are no longer Nigerians because, without NIN, we can’t access basic services. Many of our members can’t even be captured due to loss of fingers,” Ahmed said.
The NIN system, introduced by the National Identity Management Commission, NIMC, in 2012, is essential for accessing services such as banking, healthcare, and voting. However, leprosy patients find themselves excluded, further alienating them from society.
Residents in leper colonies located in Iberekodo, Abeokuta, and Ijebu Igbo face severe hardships.
“Feeding is a challenge for us,” Ahmed said, lamenting that their primary occupation, farming, has been disrupted by land encroachment.
Ahmed also highlighted the meagre N10,000 monthly stipend provided by the Ogun State government, calling for an increment.
“We appreciate the government’s support, but the hardship is unbearable. We are over a hundred people struggling to survive,” he explained.
Transportation poses another obstacle, as leprosy patients frequently face discrimination.
“Drivers refuse to carry us when they see our hands or legs. They tell us not to enter,” Ahmed said, adding that stigma has forced some lepers to withdraw from schools.
Despite constitutional guarantees of equality under Section 17 and 42 of Nigeria’s Constitution, lepers remain marginalised, their voices unheard and needs unmet.
NIMC’s Head of Corporate Communication, Kayode Adegoke, assured that persons with leprosy could be registered.
“We don’t discriminate. For those without fingers, we use their photographs and generate a NIN for them,” Adegoke explained, offering to set up registration centres in leper colonies if requested.
Ahmed appealed for urgent government intervention to ease their plight. “We want to be reintegrated into society, but without support, it’s impossible,” he concluded.
This issue underscores the need for inclusive policies as Nigeria advances its digital economy, ensuring no citizen is left behind.
