Intersex: ‘Pipo sabi me as man but for my mind I know say na woman I be’

By Mansur Abubakar

BBC Pidgin Kano

“Pipo for my area for Kano sabi me as Sani (man name) but for my mind I know say na woman I be and dis na sometin wey dey give me sleepless nights.”

Dat na how one 30-year-old intersex pesin begin im tok with BBC Pidgin of how life dey very ‘tough and rough’ as e dey try get one identity instead of living double life for years now.

“Na only operation fit give me normal life and my family no fit afford am, for two years now, na im me and some odas like me dey wait since goment promise to help us but di help still neva come.”

“My female side dey stronger and more dominant wey make me woman but I also get male features wey make pipo outside dey treat me as man but I no fit comot tell dem my secret.”

“If I dey comot outside, I get veil wey I dey use cover my chest tightly.” Sani explain.

“Na only my immediate family know my secret even my extended family no know wetin dey happun because I dey try fit in like everybody.”

Sani say hope bin come im way wen two years ago Nigeria First Lady Mrs Aisha Buhari sponsor intersex operations for Kano but afta some time, di hospital say di money don finish and no go fit carry out di operation for more pipo.

“Afta dem say First Lady money don finish dem come tell us to not worry she go send more but we just dey visit di hospital always and dem go say notin don come.

“Later, Kano state goment say dem go helep us by paying money for di operation but until now, notin so I just tire.”

“At di moment, I just leave everytin for God hand because na only im fit helep me.”

Sani say even few weeks ago, e codedly visit one local radio station to beg one programme anchor to use im program remind goment of im and odas like am situation.

Meanwhile, anoda intersex pesin tell BBC News Pidgin say im family don dey gather money as dem no fit dey continue to dey wait for goment or rich pipo to help.

“Infact na dis month my operation suppose hold but dem don shift am to February next year, dem do all di necessary tests and don even finish stage one of di procedure.”

“Di remaining work suppose be 15 November but now dem say make I come hospital February next year, i no fit wait to become complete and normal pesin.”

Di hospital reply

Mr Abdullahi Gunduwawa of Aminu Kano Hospital na im bin dey handle issues wey concern di operations wen Mrs Aisha Buhari step in two years ago.

E tell BBC Pidgin say since Mrs Buhari, no any oda goment or individuals don come in to support dis special pipo by paying for dia operation.

“Di truth be say di work no be for goment alone, individuals need to also come in to support dis pipo dat is di truth.”

“Mrs Buhari paid for only some pipo and afta di operation, many of dem still dey come before we explain to dem.”

Mr Gunduwawa say e no fit tok how much be money for di operation as cases dey different.

“So costs depend on di case. For example, some na young children while odas don reach adult stage and oda factors na di organ wey doctors go remove or keep.”

BBC Pidgin try contact di Commissioner of Information for Kano state Mr Muhammad Garba but di call no go through and e no respond to text message.

We bin wan confam if truly goment promise to helep dis set of pipo and wetin dey happun to dat help at di moment.

Wetin be intersex?

Intersex na pesin wey come dis world wit two sex organs, man and woman.

Many intersex pipo dey confused about who dem be and which gender dem belong weda man or woman.

E no possible to categorise dis group of pipo as man or woman as dem no be any of di two.

Intersex dey for Nigeria as dem dey for all di kontris for world.

But kontris wey officially recognise say dis group of pipo dey exist dey refer to dem as non-binary or odas. Meaning say dem no be man and dem no be woman.

Dem get many different varieties of intersex and most times e dey hard to know from small pikin weda dem be man or woman until di pesin grow.

Sabi pipo say one out of evri 2,000 pipo wey come world, one na intersex.

But e hard to know exactly how many dey for Nigeria as many of dem dey hide who dem be, and parents wey get moni dey sharply go do surgery for dia pikin wen im small.

Transgender na pesin wey identify imsef or im gender differently from di sex wey dem give am wen dem born am.

Some transgender pipo wan to do surgery to change from one sex to anoda. But many odas prefer to dey as nature take create dem.

Cisgender identity na pesin wey identify imsef or im gender di same as di sex wey dem give am wen dem born am.