Exploring the dress code morality wave sweeping across Nigerian campuses
Should Nigerian universities have a dress code that guides how their students present themselves? This was the million naira question I asked myself when I saw a post purportedly issued by the Obafemi Awolowo University authorities. That post has since been debunked by the institution’s Public Relations officer but he did mention that the school is already considering a dress code: quite telling right?
Within the last decade, an increasing number of public higher education institutions have released similar dress codes to which they expect their students to adhere. The rise in the number of religious-backed universities has probably also influenced this situation with public universities. What exactly is it that students wear but the authorities do not want to see? Some of the dress code violations, tagged as “misconduct” identified in the now debunked post from OAU include sexually provocative dresses, bomb (bum) shorts, micro/mini/skimpy dresses, hair braiding for males, nose/mouth/ eye extra rings, hair braiding for males, heavy makeup, and tattoos/ indelible marking. For all of these and more misconducts, students are guaranteed a minimum of justification for one semester.
I remember my undergraduate days at the University of Ibadan in the late 90s. As many students were officially away from home for the first time, it was an opportunity to be free and express themselves however best they saw fit. Students of all shapes and sizes, clad in all manner of apparel were often seen all over campus. They wore baggy jeans and t-shirts or micromini skirts and spaghetti tops. Some wore crop tops exposing their navel piercings and those who had nose rings and helix piercings. Some had tattoos too, whether conspicuously placed or not. And some guys and girls covered their hair or dyed it or maintained afros or skin cuts. People appeared as they pleased and there were barely any issues.
There would have been lecturers who frowned on some of the more revealing items of clothing but I don’t recall anyone facing the students’ disciplinary council for wearing such. The most a lecturer probably did was send students out of class to change their clothes and that was it. Universities provide the highest form of learning in society. It is an environment where teenagers become adults and are required to take responsibility for their development. No more curfews from daddy, no more instructions from mummy, one is supposed to figure out what is best for himself or herself and pattern their life after that.
At some point, law students were required to attend classes wearing formal outfits in black and white. Even with this dress code, students always found ways to be creative and express themselves. I know that this requirement is now the standard for many law faculties across Nigeria. I am also aware that some other institutions have also introduced a similar dress/ colour code for students in faculties such as Education, Management, and Social Sciences. The greatest shocker for me was hearing that a state-owned university had once considered a school uniform for its students. I hope that thought perished like a quick burning flame because I cannot confirm whether they went through with the idea!
What has informed many universities’ decision to institute dress codes? With some private universities, it is somewhat clear. Many have a religious affiliation and the need to include a “morality-based dress code” will align with their religious principles. No issues here considering that students who attend such universities are well aware of these requirements before committing to school there. With public universities, I do not understand the motivation.
The saying “dress as you want to be addressed” is a common expression. That statement, however, leaves the responsibility of the decision on what to wear or not wear to the individual. It is assumed that an adult is equipped to take responsibility for themselves as well as take responsibility for the outcome of their decisions. Public institutions have no moral rights to protect unlike the religious-based private institutions, so why do some of them legislate dress codes for their students?
One argument is that the presence of indecently dressed students encourages sexual harassment on campus. To the best of my knowledge, this has yet to be proven. People do not get sexually harassed solely because of what they wear. The nuances around sexual harassment go beyond just how one presents themselves. Some others argue the need to maintain our cultural values. I wonder about this because which of the cultures would be the gold standard for proper self-presentation? Some cultures have traditional outfits that are revealing and could be termed indecent. In some other cultures, heavy makeup and body art/tattoos/ piercings are prevalent. Some cultures have men who plait their hair and adorn themselves with body rings. If we consider all of our diverse cultural expressions, which standard would institutions adopt to determine decency or moderation? Culture is also quite dynamic so hinging a dress code on maintaining culture is a disservice to the custodians and participants of culture.
A final argument I would like to touch on is the need to curb indecency on campus and promote a focused learning environment. Is there a universally acceptable benchmark for decency? Some would contend that indecent dressing is obvious when one sees it but even this can be debated. Academic environments are filled with life learners and there would be people who can defend or oppose whatever standards are presented for indecent dressing. In a multifaceted society such as ours, how do we determine this?
Back in my uni days, the funny thing I noticed was that by the time students got to their second or maybe third year, the tendency was to dress in comfortable clothing. A student who has to sit in lectures from sunup to sundown would likely rethink wearing a figure-hugging dress all day. Or is it the student who has to run from one end of the school to the other to catch lectures in different faculties that would wear stilettos? With time spent in uni, many students adopt a more comfortable dress sense because it is the practical thing to do. Any rad outfits would usually debut at parties and not in the lecture theatres.
There will always be students who present themselves conservatively and there will be those who are a bit more flamboyant in their style. It is a university environment and both students have a place in that society, after all the larger society is already reflective of people’s individual choices. In the UK where I did a master’s programme, my uni did not have a restrictive dress code policy. Students dressed as it pleased them and lecturers did not victimise students for what they wore. This may be the case in all western unis as they are quite liberal but universities in more conservative societies adopt a more restrictive dress code for obvious reasons. Is Nigeria a conservative country?
As far as I understand, discussions on dress codes focus more on symptoms rather than on the main issues. If there are issues that proponents of a dress code believe are caused by a lack of a dress code then efforts should be channelled towards addressing those issues rather than focusing on the symptoms. What is the point of treating a symptom without finding out its root causes?
So back to my initial question, should Nigerian universities have dress codes? I believe some institutions may have peculiarities that support the adoption of a dress code such as religious affiliation. I am however of the opinion that policing how students dress is a waste of time and resources. There are more important issues to address on campus. University officials should focus more on ensuring that their students learn and acquire relevant life and career skills. As always, this is the way I see things today.