- By Abdulfattah Robiu
A wave of disquiet has swept across the campus of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, following the approval of a revised dress code policy by the university’s Governing Council, which prescribes stiff sanctions, including rustication for students found guilty of breaching the new regulations.
According to an official document titled Decision Extract and signed by the Registrar and Secretary to Council, K.A. Bakare, the university council at its meeting held on 3rd and 4th June, 2025, reviewed and adopted a proposal for a revised dress code aimed at curbing what it described as “contemporary trends of events” in the institution.
The policy, which has since gone viral on social media, outlines specific clothing and grooming styles that will now attract sanctions ranging from one to two semesters of rustication.
The list of proscribed appearances includes dreadlocks, sagging, nose rings, crop tops, multi-coloured braids, tattoos, tattered jeans, bomb shorts, off-shoulder clothes, and “sexually provocative dresses.” Students found guilty of “massaging or sitting on the lap of the opposite sex,” “heavy make-up,” or “hair braiding for males” face suspension for two semesters.
The management noted that the decision passed through appropriate review channels before being ratified by the university council.
However, the move has not gone unchallenged. In a swift reaction, the newly elected leadership of the Great Ife Students’ Union condemned the decision, labelling it as “archaic,” “oppressive,” and a gross violation of students’ constitutional rights.
In a statement jointly signed by the Union’s President-elect, Adelani David Oluwatodimu (Itabi); Secretary General-elect, Habeeb Oke Isa (Opeyemi); and Public Relations Officer-elect, Olowosile Joseph Oreoluwa, the union reaffirmed its “strong objection” to what it described as an “alleged dress code policy.”
“The introduction of sanctions such as rustication for perceived misconduct stifles and violates students’ fundamental rights to freedom of expression, personal style, and individuality,” the statement read in part.
“It also undermines the right to personal liberty as enshrined in Section 35 of the Nigerian Constitution and may infringe on Sections 37, 38, 41, and 42.”
Citing a similar controversy in 2023 where a dress code circular was discredited following backlash, the Union called on the university management to “distance itself from these punitive measures,” urging students to resist any attempt to police their identities or expressions.
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