By Gideon Eze
More than six years after Nigeria signed the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act into law, thousands of Nigerians living with visual impairment are still being denied access to basic banking services.
Across the country, from Lagos to Enugu, Port Harcourt to Ilorin, many commercial banks continue to deny ATM debit cards to blind and partially sighted customers, citing “security concerns” and the absence of accessible machines. The result is a banking system that promotes financial inclusion in policy but continues to leave many persons with disabilities behind in practice.
“You Cannot Have an ATM Card Because You Are Blind”
The experiences shared by visually impaired customers are painfully similar.
In Ogbomoso, Oyo State, a customer visited a Union Bank branch to request an ATM card but was allegedly told that he could not be issued one because he is blind. No alternative solution was provided, and his request for access to the service was reportedly rejected.
In Enugu and Ebonyi States, some customers reported being told at First Bank branches that they should not have ATM cards. One woman in Ebonyi was reportedly informed that she needed a signatory on her account before she could be considered for a card. When she requested to use a withdrawal slip instead, she said she was only attended to after threatening to close her account.
In Lagos, a visually impaired graduate approached a bank branch with an existing ATM card from another financial institution and demonstrated that he could independently operate an ATM. Despite this, he said the bank still refused to issue him a card.
“After everything, they still said no,” he recalled. He now banks with only two institutions willing to provide him with the service, saying other banks have effectively shut their doors against him.
In Makurdi, Benue State, a Guaranty Trust Bank customer said he was humiliated by a security guard who questioned why a blind person had been given an ATM card. The incident left him disappointed, and he stopped using the bank.
The Reasons Banks Give:
When questioned, some bank officials and frontline workers often provide three major explanations: liability, security, and infrastructure challenges.
First is liability.
Some banks require visually impaired customers to sign indemnity forms or provide additional documentation before issuing cards. Disability advocates argue that such demands create unnecessary barriers because sighted customers are not subjected to similar conditions before receiving debit cards.
Second is security.
Some bank staff argue that blind customers may lose their cards or disclose their PINs to others. However, advocates say this assumption ignores the fact that many blind Nigerians use smartphones with assistive technology, manage their finances independently, and are capable of using banking services like any other customer.
Third is accessibility.
Many ATMs in Nigeria lack features that support persons with visual impairment, such as audio guidance, headphone support, and Braille or tactile keypads. Advocates argue that the challenge is not the inability of blind customers to use banking services, but the failure of financial institutions to invest in accessible technology.
Life Without a Card:
For a country moving rapidly toward a cashless economy, being denied an ATM card goes beyond inconvenience — it creates serious risks.
When mobile networks fail, customers without cards struggle to access cash. Some are forced to depend on POS agents and disclose sensitive banking information to strangers. Others abandon accounts completely when they face difficulties updating their banking details due to inaccessible processes.
A visually impaired content creator in the South-East described being stranded at night after losing access to mobile banking services and having no ATM card to withdraw money.
“The bank refused to issue me one simply because I am blind,” she said. “That night, I realized how dangerous exclusion can be.”
In some locations, visually impaired customers also report difficulties updating their accounts because some branches lack accessible alternatives such as fingerprint or biometric verification systems.
A Law Without Strong Enforcement
Nigeria’s 2018 Disability Act prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities and requires accessibility in public facilities, including financial institutions.
Despite this legal protection, disability advocates say enforcement remains weak, with few cases of sanctions against institutions accused of discriminatory practices.
Some banks have introduced improvements, including Braille forms, accessible services, and assistive technologies in selected branches. However, advocates say these measures remain limited and inconsistent, leaving many visually impaired Nigerians struggling to access basic financial services.
The Way Forward:
Disability rights advocates across Nigeria are calling for stronger action, including an end to discriminatory requirements, wider deployment of accessible ATMs with audio guidance and tactile features, and proper enforcement of disability inclusion laws.
Inclusive banking is not charity. Persons with visual impairment are teachers, lawyers, entrepreneurs, graduates, and contributors to the economy. They are customers who deserve equal access to financial services.
Until banks move from policies to practical inclusion, the banking hall will remain a place of struggle and rejection for many Nigerians living with visual impairment.
Six years after the Disability Act was signed into law, the question remains: when will Nigeria’s banking system fully recognise blind Nigerians as customers to serve, not challenges to manage?
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