‘Bum Shorts, Makeup’, OAU Clarifies Controversial Dress Code for New Session as Students Protest

Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) has clarified that the controversial dress code circulating online – banning items like bum shorts and heavy makeup – is still a draft and not yet approved.

The management of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, has stated that the controversial dress code currently circulating online is merely a draft and has not received official approval from the institution’s governing council.

The proposed code, which surfaced online earlier this week, listed several prohibited dress styles and accessories such as dreadlocks, heavy makeup, nose rings, multi-coloured hairstyles, and hair braiding for male students. It also suggested penalties, including rustication for one or two semesters, for students who violate the proposed rules.

VerseNews gathered that the draft document contains a comprehensive list of what the university refers to as “indecent dressing.” The listed offences include transparent clothing, bum shorts, tattered jeans, sagging trousers, tattoos, off-shoulder tops, crop tops, and T-shirts bearing obscene inscriptions “depicting immorality or hooliganism.”

Also prohibited are unconventional ways of wearing face caps, the use of cowries and earrings by male students, haircut inscriptions, and “unwelcome touching, hugging or kissing of the opposite sex.” The code insists that both male and female students must avoid dressing styles that “undermine moral or academic integrity.”

However, on Thursday, the university’s Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Olarewaju, clarified that the policy is not final. “So we have not finalised so many things there, but some people just smuggled it out to alert the public,” he said. “The management is currently applying finishing touches to the proposed code and will officially release it once concluded.”

Explaining the university’s rationale for drafting the code, Olarewaju added, “The university is working on the dress code because after completion of their studies, the certificates read that they are awarded in character and in learning. There is no way somebody can be rewarding learning and character without some degree of decency, particularly in the mode of dressing.”

He continued, “When we are done with it, we will make it public so that our students, particularly, will know that in the university, there are ways you dress that will not insult the academic sensibilities and moral sanctity of some other people.”

In swift response, the Students’ Union of the university issued a strongly-worded statement rejecting the draft policy, describing it as “outdated and repressive.”

In a joint release signed by President Adelaide David, Secretary General Habeeb Oke, and Public Relations Officer Olowosile Joseph, the union called for the policy to be scrapped entirely.

“The Great Ife Students’ Union is reaffirming its strong opposition to the trending alleged university management’s consideration of a dress code policy,” the statement read.

“Reflecting on past instances, including the misleading circulars that surfaced in 2023 and the subsequent management clarifications, we remain committed to protecting our rights.”

The union described the draft as a violation of students’ constitutional rights, especially their “freedom of expression, liberty, and individuality,” asserting that students should be allowed to express themselves without being penalised for their appearance.

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“The policy stifles and violates students’ fundamental rights to freedom of expression, personal style, and individuality. We call on students to stand together in unity against the dress code and any measures that seek to undermine their rights,” the statement said.

It also condemned the university’s approach, recalling similar attempts to introduce dress regulations in the past without adequate consultation or clarity, and accused the management of a “pattern of misinformation.”

“We remain vigilant and united in defending the interests and freedoms of our students,” the union concluded.