'Dem torture me and I lose my hand' – how one student struggle to get education for Nigeria

At di age of 13, dem accuse Ovey Friday say im be witch, im stepmother carry am go one traditional shrine for Nasarawa State, for central Nigeria, wia dem torture am.

Befor one neighbour alert police and dem rush am go hospital, di damage don already too much.

“Di herbalist bring charcoal, put sometin for my hand, tie my hand and leg join, put pepper inside di charcoal, come cover me wit bedsheet,” Friday wey now don reach 19 years tok.

Doctors no get choice, dem sedate am and do operation. Wen Friday wake, im see say dem don cut im left hand, while di fingers for im right hand either don cut or get permanent scar.

“I cry and cry,” Friday tell BBC.

For di years wey follow, pipo dey look am for road or dey mock am. “I wish say dem know me from wen I small,” im talk.

Even wit di pain, im still get strong mind to continue life. But im education almost stop two years ago wen e wan write Nigeria university entrance exam wey Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) dey organise.

Di biometric fingerprint system no fit recognise am, bicos e no fit capture im damaged thumbprint or di oda damaged fingers.

Luckily, one of im guardians, togeda wit disability rights activists, push officials make dem accept im toe print as identification.

Now, Friday dey study English and literary studies for one university for Nasarawa State, near Abuja.

Na im be di first pesin for im family wey enter university.

“Not everybodi get pesin wey go stand for dem,” im tok. “Some pipo go just give up.”

Scarlett Eduoku, wey be radio presenter for Kano, don face similar wahala. Most identity verification apps no fit scan her face well because she lose her left eye wen she be just 18 months old.

Dis one dey give am serious headache, and e also mean say she no fit upgrade her SIM from 3G to 5G online. She get to travel go her network provider headquarters for Kano city centre befor dem fit help am.

According to Ayuba Burki-Gufwan, wey be executive secretary of National Commission for Persons wit Disabilities (NCPWD), more dan 35 million Nigerians, about 15% of di population dey live wit one form of disability or anoda.

For 2019, dem pass one important law wey ban discrimination against pipo wit disabilities and promise dem access to public services. Dis law also lead to di creation of NCPWD to fight for dia rights. But Burki-Gufwan tok say progress still dey slow, like snail pace. Still, e remain hopeful, tok say "journey of thousand miles dey start wit one step."

E still point to some improvements. JAMB don remove exam fees for pipo wit disabilities and create special centres for students wit different needs.

Federal University of Lafia for Nasarawa also don reduce school fees reach up to 75% for students wit disabilities, wey make many of dem rush come enrol.

Chukwuemeka Chimdiebere, one special educator for Lagos, say Nigeria need to do more.

"Inclusion no be favour, na responsibility," e tok.

According to am, accessibility no just be about building ramps e include sign-language interpreters, learning materials for visually impaired students, trained teachers, and digital platforms wey consider evribodi.

"Many pipo wit disabilities no really dey limited by dia condition, but by systems wey dem design without dem in mind," e add.

Abiose Falade, 48, wey be author for south-western city of Ibadan, dey use wheelchair and e tok say disability "na part of di circle of life".

"E fit hapun to you early, e fit hapun to you later. Sometimes e go be permanent, sometimes temporary. But disability na part of di dynamics of how God create us."

Falade no see herself as different from anybody until she start school at di age of 10.

"I bin dey introduced to di world and di kain way e be," she tok. "Pesins wey get disabilities no really dey part of wetin di world want."

She still dey feel am till today: "List dey of places wey I fit go and list of wia I no fit go.

"Wen I wan go out, I dey carry pesin follow me so wen pipo begin dey look, dey point, I no go notice. E easy pass to face am alone."

Di physical environment dey make di challenge worse.

For many Nigerian cities, pavements no smooth or dem get break because of tins like wide gap for open drainage wey dem design for maintenance access, while low kerbs dey very few, wey make dem hard or impossible to pass. For rural areas, because no pavements dey, wheelchair users go depend on roads wey often no get tar or no safe.

Public buildings hardly get ramps and wheelchair users dey struggle to enter banks, hospitals or govment offices without assistance.

Wetin make am worse be say Nigeria need to import evri wheelchair, hearing aid and mobility device.

"If nine out of every 10 pesin wit disabilities need some kind assistive device and none dey locally manufactured, den we get big challenge for our hands," Burki-Gufwan tok.

Advocates dey call make dem reserve 1% of budgets for pesins wit disabilities for every level of govment. Dem tok say limited public funding and oda priorities dey affect how fast accessibility measures fit dey implemented, even wen willingness dey.

To expand inclusive infrastructure and assistive technologies go need serious investment, though advocates tok say stronger commitment and enforcement of existing laws dey just as important as funding.

Opeyemi Ademola, 28, wey be project manager for Lagos, get disability wey no dey visible.

E dey live wit mixed hearing loss. So evri meeting need serious concentration, and noisy environments dey make am mentally tired.

"Pipo dey assume say if you fit speak well, you no dey experience communication challenges," e tok.

"But accessibility no be about ability. Na about support."

Simple adjustments, like written summaries afta meetings and captions for video calls, fit make big difference, e tok.

Burki-Gufwan dey hope say one day, e go get "true accessibility" for pesins wit disabilities.

"E mean say nobodi go dey left behind - for employment, for education, for political participation," e tok.

Back for campus, Friday don settle as student.

Between lectures and assignments, e dey learn new ways to write again, to live independently away from home and to make new friends.

E dey show Nigerians say pesin fit overcome obstacles and prejudice and pesins wit disabilities fit succeed like evribodi else if dem get opportunity.