OAU rejects trending circular on dress code

Since Sunday, university students and graduates have voiced their displeasure with the supposed attempt to control attire on campus.

On Sunday night, a few of the students and alumni met in a space on X to talk about the issue, with many of them objecting to the change.

Late Sunday, the university’s Students’ Union leadership issued a statement opposing the idea of a dress code for students.

“As a union, we disagree with the management’s plan to control students’ manner of dress because it violates their right to freedom of expression, which is protected by all known laws.

The statement, which was jointly signed by the union’s President, Secretary-General, and PRO, Abbas Ojo, Opeyemi Akinboni, and Omisore Elijah, partially read, “We must state unequivocally that the university campus is not a prison and that the use of uniform is really backward and archaic as it does not in any way contribute to the learning process.”

In an interview with our correspondent on Monday, the union’s Secretary-General, Akinboni, also confirmed that the union had indeed received a memo from the university.

The memo was dated August 8, 2023, and it was copied to the campus staff unions and students’ union. It was titled “Review of the Code of Conduct for the University Community and Other Policies in the University.” The university’s Directorate of Legal Services was urged to receive feedback from the unions.