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Summary
This article narrates the journey of Zanaib Yahaya, a 19-year-old deaf woman who goes against all odds to acquire an education where the learning facilities did not cater to her needs. She aspires to establish a radio programme in sign language in Niger state where the unheard can fully be heard.
In the heart of Minna, Niger State, lives 19-year-old Zainab Yahaya, a bright and determined young woman with dreams as big as the sky. Zainab was born with a hearing impairment. Her world has always been silent, but her mind echoes with thoughts, ideas, and hopes she yearns to share with the world around her.
Growing up in Dutsen Kura Hausa, Zainab faced the harsh realities of exclusion. Her parents, both farmers, struggled to find a school that would accept her. “We carried her from one school to another,” her mother recalled, “but they all said they weren’t equipped to handle a deaf child.”
Eventually, with help from a kind neighbor who had ties with a local NGO, Zainab was enrolled in the School for the Deaf in Keteren-Gwari, one of the few institutions in Minna catering to children with special needs. There, she flourished learning sign language, making friends, and excelling in academics.
But the real challenge began after her graduation.
Unlike many of her classmates, Zainab didn’t want to stop at secondary school. She dreamed of studying Mass Communication at the Niger State Polytechnic, Zungeru, to become a voice for those who could not speak. “I want to work in radio,” she signed passionately during an interview, “to help people like me be seen and heard.”
Her application, however, was met with resistance. Although her results met the requirements, there was no sign language interpreter at the school. During her first visit to the Mass Communication department, one lecturer candidly told her, “You’re brilliant, but we don’t have the facilities or staff to support a deaf student.”
Zainab returned home heartbroken. For weeks, she isolated herself, unsure if she would ever achieve her dreams. But her story took a turn when a group of students from the Federal University of Technology, Minna, working on a project about inclusion, discovered her case. Led by Abdullahi Musa, a final-year student of Education and Special Needs, they launched a campaign titled #HearZainabOut, aimed at pushing for inclusion of people with disabilities in tertiary institutions across Niger State.
The campaign quickly gained attention on social media. Local radio stations, newspapers, and community leaders began discussing the need for inclusive education. “Zainab’s story is not just about one girl,” Abdullahi told a crowd at a town hall in Bosso. “It’s about the many voices we silence every day simply because we refuse to adapt.”
Moved by the campaign, the Rector of Niger State Polytechnic invited Zainab and her parents for a meeting. The institution agreed to partner with NGOs to bring in part-time sign language interpreters and to train lecturers in basic inclusive teaching practices.
Today, Zainab is in her first year at the polytechnic. Though she still faces challenges from inaccessible classrooms to misunderstanding from some students she stands tall. She has become a role model, not only for other persons with disabilities but for an entire generation learning the meaning of resilience and inclusion.
“People think silence means we have nothing to say,” she sighed, smiling confidently. “But we have stories, dreams, and power too. All we need is a chance.”
Zainab now volunteers with the Niger Disability Forum, where she mentors young girls with hearing impairments. Her goal, she says, is to one day establish the first radio program in sign language in Niger State – a platform where the unheard can finally be understood.
#SaniMohammedSani is a Niger state-based journalist, a fellow of the 2025 Africa Foundation for Young Media Professionals’ Disability and Inclusion reporting media fellowship jointly organised in conjunction with Centre for Disability and Inclusion Africa.
This story was first published on nigeriagrassroot news
