My alma mater, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, has recently been in the news for what can only be described as a masterclass in how not to major in minors. First, in June 2025, the University Council approved a ‘revised dress code’ that reads like a manual for moral fascism. Then, after the document went viral and attracted widespread condemnation, the university issued a damage-control press statement, claiming that what is in the public domain was not the ‘official’ version approved by Council. The leaked code prescribes rustication for one semester for ‘heavy make-ups’, ‘rumpled and dirty clothes’, ‘multi-coloured braids for female’, ‘dread locks’, ‘unconventional wearing of face cap’, ‘off-shoulder clothes’, ‘haircuts with inscriptions’, ‘nose, mouth, eye, extra rings’, ‘tattoo/indelible markings for male’ etc. Two semesters of rustication await students guilty of sporting ‘coloured hair styles’ or ‘sprangled hair style for male’ and other such ‘infractions.’
I have read both the Council decision extract dated 13th June 2025 and the university’s subsequent disclaimer of 25th July 2025, and quite frankly, I find the entire episode appalling. Not just as an alumnus of this once-great institution, but as a Nigerian who understands the enormity of challenges facing our educational system. Promising to release an “official” dress code after their previous version proved embarrassing is an indication that authorities at Ife continue to miss the point. The problem is not about the version of the dress code in circulation but the existence of such an elaborate moral policing mechanism in the first place. Here is the issue: When those who are supposed to be seeking practical solutions to the problems of society spend productive hours deliberating over whether it is appropriate for students to wear ‘tattered jeans’, then there is something profoundly disturbing about the intellectual space in our country.
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. It is part of a troubling pattern across Nigerian universities that have become obsessed with regulating student appearance rather than improving their academic standards. A few have even ventured into issuing decrees on relationships and social interactions. The result is a system where young adults, people old enough to marry and make life-altering decisions, are treated like children. Meanwhile, the leaked Ife document followed months of committee deliberations, administrative processes and legal reviews to determine that “indecent dress” should replace “sexually provocative dresses” in their moral lexicon. In fact, the Council sat for two days (Tuesday 3rd and Wednesday 4th June 2025) according to their own document. Imagine if this energy had been channelled toward improving academic standards, updating curricula etc. Instead, we have administrators who spend their time crafting elaborate punishment matrices for “unconventional wearing of face cap” by university students!
Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of the leaked dress code is its selective interpretation of culture and decency. The university’s disclaimer promises an official version “directed at enhancing academic sensibilities, social decency and ethical standards in line with the University’s motto.” How does policing a female’s appearance promote academic sensibilities? Meanwhile, the same university that prohibits dreadlocks, a hairstyle with deep cultural and spiritual significance in many African traditions, claims to be preserving “cultural ethos” in line with its motto: “For learning and culture”. This is not cultural preservation; it is the imposition of narrow-mindedness on young people who should be encouraged to explore and express their cultural identity. In case the Ife lawgivers are not aware, in Yoruba cultural symbolism, cowries represent prosperity and femininity.
A careful reading of the leaked dress code reveals something deeper. While male students face restrictions mainly around hairstyles and general appearance, female students bear the brunt of this moral anxiety. From “backless clothes” to “micro/mini/skimpy dress,” and “crop/jump tops”, the female body becomes a site of moral panic and institutional control. This reflects a broader societal problem where women’s bodies are seen as inherently problematic, requiring constant regulation and supervision. It perpetuates the toxic notion that women are responsible for men’s moral failings and that female sexuality is inherently dangerous to social order.
The university justifies these restrictions on security grounds, arguing that certain forms of dress “obscure identification” and pose “serious security problems.” This argument might hold water if our universities were secure environments. But these are the same institutions where cultists operate with impunity, examination malpractices are endemic, ‘Yahoo Boys’ reign supreme and sexual harassment by lecturers go unpunished. If university administrators were genuinely concerned about security, they would invest in proper infrastructure, implement effective monitoring systems, and create safe spaces for students to report crimes. Instead, they choose the easier path of regulating hemlines and hairstyles.
Let me paint a picture of Nigeria’s university system today. We have institutions where students are sheltered in dilapidated buildings, classrooms are overcrowded, libraries lack current books, laboratory materials are antiquated, and brilliant minds are stifled by archaic teaching methods. Rather than act as centres of scientific inquiry and objective scepticism, our universities are becoming big bureaucracies, which perhaps explains why in most of them, the number of administrative staff is five or six times the number of academic staff. The larger issue underpinning this is governance, especially the status of the University Councils, now peopled mostly by politicians rather than tested professionals who have achieved significant success in their respective careers. The tradition in developed countries is that the best and brightest citizens and experienced and knowledgeable people are selected to serve as Council members and particularly the chair in universities.
As I wrote in a two-part column, ‘The Case Against ASUU’ in August 2022, tackling the challenge of tertiary education in Nigeria goes beyond the salaries of lecturers. We need to improve the environment: Functional libraries and laboratories, up to date journals, access to technology, research grants, etc. Since these would require imaginative leadership, University Councils obsessed with students wearing ‘Bomb shorts’ would not know how to access funds from donations, endowments, professional chairs, gifts, grants, consultancy services, etc. They would also be bereft of ideas as to how to attract quality academic staff, provide necessary teaching aids, and ensure a conducive learning environment for students.
If we are to develop, authorities in Nigeria must take a hard look at the governance of our institutions of higher learning and put in place appropriate rules and policies that are progressive and fair regarding the choice of Council members. We don’t need people who issue decrees on dressing in an environment that ordinarily should attract young learners who question assumptions and challenge established norms.
Unfortunately, this obsession with dress codes reflects a broader malaise––the preference for cosmetic solutions over substantive reforms. In our country today, people in leadership positions, in practically all spheres and across all levels, spend considerable time on things that do not matter while neglecting the important things that would make a world of difference in the lives of people. In an unusual X (formerly Twitter) post on Tuesday that could easily pass for diplomatic activism, the United States Mission in Nigeria wrote: “While Nigerians are urged to endure economic hardship ‘like labor pains,’ some governors are splurging billions on new government houses.” They referenced ‘TheAfricaReport’ that highlights gross mismanagement of scarce resources on misplaced priorities. “Such alleged lack of fiscal responsibility fuels inequality and erodes public trust.”
The real concern is that this predisposition cuts across all strata of our society and manifests in different forms. Last Thursday, on the outskirts of Jos, Gad Shamaki (a colleague in the fact-finding panel on the killings in Plateau State), and I encountered a soldier using a big pair of scissors to cut the dreadlocks of a young man at a military checkpoint. Of course, it is easier to cut the dreadlocks of a defenceless man than to battle armed criminals. This same mindset accounts for what now happens on the campuses. We all know that it is simpler to regulate skirt lengths than to improve teaching quality and more convenient to police makeup than to provide cutting-edge knowledge.
That most of our universities rank dismally in global indices is no longer news. Yet, those who run them continue to congratulate themselves for maintaining “moral standards”. But we cannot continue like this. Our universities need leadership that understands the difference between education and indoctrination and between guidance and control. And our students need institutions that prepare them for the complexities of modern life, not ones that shelter them from the realities of human diversity and expression.
Let me be very clear. I abhor indecency in whatever form. And I say this with every sense of responsibility as head of the youth department in my parish. But universities are not Mosques or Churches. They are for critical thinking and sometimes non-conformity. The energy currently being wasted on regulating student appearance should be redirected toward addressing the real challenges facing our educational system: inadequate funding, poor infrastructure, obsolete curricula, and declining academic standards. These are the issues that deserve council deliberations, committee reviews, and urgent attention.
As I write this piece, I am reminded of the ‘Great Ife’ I knew as a student––an institution that prided itself on intellectual rigour and progressive thinking. A university that challenged conventional wisdom and pushed boundaries. I cannot remember ‘inspectors’ checking whether my shirt was rumpled or anyone criminalising “unwelcome touching, kissing and hugging” at Mozambique Hall (‘motherless babies home’) or Moremi Hall (‘babylessmothers home’). Yet, most of us have not done badly after leaving Ife.
The time has come for the administrators on our campuses to stop majoring in minors by focusing on what truly matters: educating young minds for the challenges of today and tomorrow. Our universities must choose what they want to be: Institutions of higher learning or centres of moral surveillance. They cannot be both.
● Mission X Accomplished!
Although the Voice of Nigeria (VON) management has apologised for the international embarrassment of last Saturday, it is difficult to explain how a reporter would concoct a story and back it up with fabricated quotes. Until the 64th minute, the Moroccans were leading Nigeria by two goals to nil in the final of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON). But by then, the VON reporter had seen enough to lose faith in the capacity of the Super Falcons to fight back. In the process, he also lost faith in his country. So, he filed a story that had only just begun!
Let’s take a little bit from the ‘news’. After a lengthy commentary on how “Morocco stunned defending champions Nigeria with a 2–0 victory” (Nigeria is not even the defending champion), the ‘imaginative’ reporter then quoted the Moroccan coach Jorge Vilda as saying, “This is a victory for every Moroccan girl who dreams of greatness. We’ve made history on home soil.” The Nigerian manager, Justin Maduguwas not left out as he reportedly said, “We gave it everything, but Morocco deserved this tonight. We must go back and rebuild.” Meanwhile, the Super Falcon skipper Rasheedat Ajibade was credited as saying: “It hurts, but we’ll come back stronger. We thank Nigerians for their love and support.”
However, the reporter did not have the last word on the exciting match won by the Super Falcons to accomplish their Mission X: they claimed the 10th victory in 13 editions of the tournament. Quite a feat! Fortunately, former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo used his Facebook page not only to accurately report proceedings on the field of play but also to reflect the mood of our people back home last Saturday night. “When Nigeria arrives quietly, it is often because we intend to leave with all the noise. What happened tonight in Rabat was vintage Naija. Two goals down. A stadium roaring.
But our @nigeriasuperfalcons? They did not panic. They adjusted their wings. Okoronkwo stepped up and converted the penalty with the composure of someone solving a constitutional crisis. Ijamilusi brought us level. Calm. Clinical. Confident. And just when Morocco thought the drama had peaked, Echegini delivered a set piece that felt like it was signed, sealed, and sent from Abuja.” That was Osinbajo in an entertaining post. But the eminent professor was not done: “Three goals. One comeback written with resolve. And a trophy that now tells its own story in green, white, green. We play with fire in our feet and faith in our future. Because we may bend, but we never break. And in case the world needs a reminder… Naija no dey carry last.”
What more can anybody add? Congratulations, Super Falcons!
● Still on Teens Career Conference
Registration for the 2025 RCCG TEAP Teens Career Conference will soon close. The theme for this year’s edition which holds on Saturday, 16th August is, ‘Cultivating Healthy Relationships; Setting the Right Boundaries.’ The speakers include Mr Fela Durotoye, a renowned leadership expert, motivational speaker, business strategist, and nation builder, Mrs Nonye Soludo, the First Lady of Anambra State, a dynamic entrepreneur and wellness influencer and Mr Adebowale (Debo) Olujimi, the Group Managing Director of Emadeb Energy Services Limited.
According to the chief host, Pastor Evaristus Azodoh, the choice of theme for this year’s edition was deliberate. While cultivating healthy relationships helps to define expectations from others, setting appropriate boundaries allows for mutual respect and provides the platform for such engagements without negative consequences. Although a Christian programme, the conference is open to youth of all religious backgrounds—mostly undergraduates—from Abuja and environs. Attendance is by online registration at rccgteapteens.ng.
You can follow me on my X (formerly Twitter) handle @Olusegunverdict and on www.olusegunadeniyi.com
The views expressed by contributors are strictly personal and not of Law & Society Magazine.
