The 18‑year‑old Ogun State teenager, Esther Abiona, dreams of becoming a medical laboratory scientist in a top‑tier hospital. Her ambition, however, has been thwarted by an inability to register for the United Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) because her right hand lacks fingers, a requirement for the biometric process.
Dr Fabian Benjamin, Head of Public Affairs and Protocol at the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), announced that registration for the 2023 UTME would run from Saturday, 14 January to Tuesday, 14 February 2023, with the computer‑based test scheduled for 29 April to 12 May 2023. The deadline was later extended by a week, moving the e‑PIN sale cut‑off to Monday, 20 February and the registration close to Wednesday, 22 February. By the original deadline, over 1.5 million candidates had registered, including 168,748 who opted for the mock exam.
Esther had previously sat for the 2022 UTME and applied to study Medical Laboratory Science at the Federal University, Oye‑Ekiti. Although she met the cut‑off, she was not offered admission and was advised to apply for a supplementary admission in another Faculty of Sciences department, which also proved unsuccessful. Determined not to lose another opportunity, she attempted to register for the 2023 UTME. The process proved arduous because of her disability: she had lost all fingers on her right hand after a severe infection in 2016.
On 14 February, Esther travelled from Magboro, Ogun State, to the registration centre at Redemption Camp, Mowe. She paid N3,500 for a UTME e‑PIN, N1,000 for compulsory reading texts, and N700 for JAMB CBT centre registration, a total of N5,200 payable electronically. After the PIN was generated, she was required to complete biometric registration, which demanded the use of ten fingers. A staff member named Joy informed her that, under JAMB’s new directive for persons with disabilities, she could not be registered at that centre and was referred to JAMB’s headquarters in Abeokuta.
Esther returned home, received N5,000 from her mother, and went to the Abeokuta office. Despite having already generated an e‑PIN, the officers there deemed her case “severe” and insisted she travel to JAMB headquarters in Abuja, stating that the system would not accept her biometric data. One officer warned her that even in Abuja the registration might be impossible because the deadline was only a week away. Frustrated and in tears, Esther argued that JAMB had already taken her payment, generated an e‑PIN, and captured her data, only to deny her registration because she lacked five fingers.
She provided payment receipts and text messages confirming her e‑PIN issuance on 15 February and a follow‑up on 21 February, a day before the deadline. Her mother, Folashade, pleaded with JAMB for assistance, explaining that they could not afford the travel, flight, and accommodation costs required to reach Abuja. Folashade recounted Esther’s earlier medical ordeal: at age 12, Esther suffered a sudden, excruciating hand infection that swelled to twice its size, began discharging pus, and ultimately led to the loss of all five fingers after multiple hospital visits, surgeries, and a skin graft from her lap. Despite the trauma, Esther learned to write with her left hand, completed her Junior Secondary School Certificate Examination, and continued her secondary education.
When asked for comment, JAMB spokesperson Dr Benjamin suggested Esther might be lying about the deadline, claiming the system allows officers to capture any available fingers and to note challenges in the registration template. He asserted that biometric registration is meant to prevent impersonation and that officers are trained to handle such cases. He offered no alternative solution, stating simply that registration had closed.
David Anyaele, Executive Director of the Centre for Citizens with Disabilities, condemned JAMB’s actions as discriminatory and a violation of Section 1 of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities Act. He urged Esther to file a petition with JAMB and the CDD, emphasizing that any procedure deliberately excluding persons with disabilities is unlawful.
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