OAU Breaks Silence on Peter Obi Lecture Cancellation

• Peter Obi’s planned lecture at Obafemi Awolowo University was cancelled, prompting the university to clarify the circumstances behind the decision.

Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, has explained why it declined to approve the venue for a lecture scheduled to be delivered by former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

The university said organisers failed to provide sufficient notice and only disclosed the identity of the guest a day before the event.

In a statement issued on Sunday by the university’s Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Olarewaju, OAU said visits by high-profile personalities require advance notice to allow for proper security coordination and logistical preparations.

The institution noted that the late request made it impossible to liaise adequately with security agencies, including the Nigeria Police and the Department of State Services.

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The university stressed that its decision was based solely on safety, orderliness, and established protocols governing the use of its facilities. It added that the cancellation should not be interpreted as a slight against Peter Obi, whom it described as a highly respected public figure.

Obi had earlier expressed concern over the cancellation, describing it as part of a growing pattern of disrupted engagements at Nigerian universities and warning of threats to intellectual freedom.