Though situated in Niger State, it is only a few kilometers to the Nigerian federal capital, Abuja, and boasts of a number of activities including the registration of the National Identification Number (NIN) for which a number of persons throng the place daily.
The Suleja Local Government Secretariat building, for any first time visitor, is a neat, sprawling structure.
Though situated in Niger State, it is only a few kilometers to the Nigerian federal capital, Abuja, and boasts of a number of activities including the registration of the National Identification Number (NIN) for which a number of persons throng the place daily.
The NIN office is accessible to anyone who is ready to defy the crowd, but it is a herculean task for the physically challenged to come in, let alone get registered.
On Friday afternoon when SaharaReporters visited the secretariat, it took two hefty youths to assist Adamu Bashayi, a crippled on a makeshift wheelchair to enter the corridor.
Also at the NIMC office section, there is no provision for ramps where visually impaired persons or persons using wheelchair can easily access the NIMC Centre.
"There is no provision for people like us on a wheelchair to come in. And we need the support of at least two persons to climb the stairs," Bashayi told SaharaReporters.
"I came from Kwamba area and I already passed through stress to come to this place. To come into the NIN office is stressful, there is crowd and there is no special section or officials to attend to people like me."
"I will have to rely on luck and the goodwill of other people registering," he added.
Away from the secretariat, lying in front of the Suleja Central Mosque on the murky afternoon, were a number of disabled persons, many of them squatting in the scorching sun and waiting for alms and other assistance.
Suleja, a major transit town into Abuja, is usually busy on this weekday from commercial and religious activities and among the crowd of the physically challenged is a middle-aged woman, Aisha Gobir.
Aisha has lost her eyesight and is led by a teenage boy who happens to be her foster son.
Speaking with SaharaReporters, she disclosed that she did not have the NIN because there was no one to lead her to the registration point.
In a tone which suggested she did not care about the NIN, she dismissed the suggestion of being taken to the registration centre.
"They should come and meet us and capture all of us where we are. I don't have eyes. My priority is to find what to do and what to eat first. The people (officials) should have special provision for us," she said in Hausa.
Sitting beside Aisha in a makeshift wheelchair is a crippled woman who seemed to have lost most of her limbs.
Hajara (surname unknown) said she heard about NIN for the first time.
“I am crippled, and all I do is begging. I do not even have access to the facilities for the registration of this thing (NIN). If I am wheeled to any government place, they all think I have come to beg. I don't enter any office," she told SaharaReporters.
Away from Suleja, SaharaReporters in a random sampling of disabled persons in Zuba, Madalla, Kwankwashe and adjoining areas discovered that most disabled persons do not even know what the National Identification Number is or its significance to their lives.
The National Identification Number (NIN) is a major policy of the Nigerian government at having a central database for Nigerians.
As of recent data published by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), 110million Nigerians, which is barely half of the total population, have registered for the National Identification Number (NIN).
The fate of disabled persons however remains undecided even as they face arduous process in the NIMC policy of the government, findings by SaharaReporters have shown.
In Nigeria there are over 35 million persons in the country said to be disabled in one form or the other.
In Nigeria, no citizen can open a bank account without possessing the NIN.
While Nigeria enacted a law for persons with disabilities in 2018, these categories of persons have continued to lament disparities and difficulty in access or enrollment for NIN.
SaharaReporters interviewed different disabled persons who shared their thoughts on policy of the government for persons with disability.
Most of those sampled do not have a bank account neither do they use a phone.
“What we do is begging, as that seems to be the major thing that survives us” one of the disabled persons sampled in Zuba told SaharaReporters.
This is even despite the provision of section 27 of the National Identification Management Commission act that states that it is illegal to participate in government services without NIN.
Although the NIMC has an online portal for pre-enrollment for NIN, disabled persons such as those who are blind have been noted as being disadvantaged in using this system.
This development is even as 73% of disabled persons in Nigeria are said to lack access to smartphones.
The director of AccessTech Innovation and Research Centre, Opeolu Akinola, who is visually impaired, told SaharaReporters that the process for enrollment for NIN does not specifically target persons with disabilities.
Sharing his experience, he noted that as a visually impaired person, if he didn’t go to the NIMC Centre with someone, it would have been difficult to get enrolled.
“In my case, if I didn’t go to the Centre with someone, I wouldn’t have been able to register. You have to go from one end to the other, not to talk of accessing different rooms. Even though I didn’t go alone, there was no priority for persons with disabilities like a quick access, you have to rely on discretion of whoever was at the table.
"That is not even to talk of the rowdiness in the place, imagine someone who is a visually impaired in that scene”
He noted that while that was his experience, persons on wheelchair may have difficulties accessing the centres because the size of doors of the centres in some cases are not built to allow wheelchairs into centres.
When contacted, the National Secretary of the National Association of Persons with physical disabilities, Ignatius Bisong, told SaharaReporters that persons with disabilities still face structural issues in enrolling for NIN.
“You have a case where our members cannot access buildings where enrollment for NIN takes place. For instance those with wheelchair. Even those who have leprosy cannot use some of the gadgets used for enrollment because of issues with fingers for instance”.
He also noted that there is low awareness among members regarding online platforms, even as not too many persons are able to use them.
When contacted, the respondent at the end of the call at the National Commission for Persons with Disability refused to comment on efforts made by the commission to liase with the NIMC in ensuring that persons with disabilities get enrolled and challenges faced.
He instead sought a letter before responses could be made.
Speaking with newsmen at an interactive session in Abuja, Dr Alvan Ikoku, Deputy Director at NIMC and Head, Strategy and Programmes Office, acknowledged the challenges around sensitisation of the people to the siginficance of the NIN.
He also highlighted the steps and projections ahead of the commission to tackle the challenges.
Dr Ikoku said, "The challenges we have are; one, resource constraints: limited funding and resources hinders efforts to expand services, improve infrastructure, and invest in technology upgrades.
"Two, infrastructure constraints: insufficient technological infrastructure, particularly in rural areas limiting the ability to efficiently collect and manage identity data. This includes issues related to power supply, network connectivity, and access to biometric capture devices.
"Also, identity enrollment perception: encouraging citizens to enroll in the national identity management system can be challenging due to concerns about privacy and data security.
"There is also limited Public Awareness and Education: There has been limited awareness about the importance of obtaining a national identification number (NIN) and understanding the benefits of the national identity management system among citizens can be an ongoing challenge."
"To address these challenges, we have projections such as; the development and deployment of new verification and authentication solutions that guarantee seamless verification and authentication of persons."
Despite their significant numbers, persons with disabilities in Nigeria face numerous challenges that hinder their full participation and inclusion in society.
Apart from the NIN, many public buildings, roads, and transportation systems are not designed with accessibility in mind.
According to a report by the World Bank, only 10% of public buildings in Nigeria are accessible to people with disabilities (World Bank, 2018).
The National Bureau of Statistics reported that in 2020, only 3.5% of people with disabilities were employed, compared to 53.4% of the general population (NBS, 2020).
To address these challenges, it is essential that the Nigerian government, civil society, and individuals work together to promote inclusion, accessibility, and equal opportunities for persons with disabilities.
Report by: Amos Olaleye Aluko and Samuel Oyedeji.
This report is produced under the DPI Africa Journalism Fellowship Programme of the Media Foundation for West Africa and Co-Develop