Dress Code Over Development: A Case of Misplaced Priority in Nigerian Universities

Editor's note: In this piece, educator Folaranmi Ajayi critiques Nigerian universities for prioritising student dress codes over educational innovation. The policy writer urges institutions to focus on research, welfare, and academic excellence instead of superficial regulations.

In a time when universities across the world are solving real problems, creating new technologies and ideas, and changing how we live, Nigerian universities are still spending their energy debating how students should dress. A recent example is the dress code bulletin released by Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, dated Monday, 16 June 2025. The document has since caused public outrage and serious debate online and within academic communities.

The bulletin, released by the university’s Dress Code Implementation Committee, lists various forms of what it calls “indecent and offensive dressing” that are now banned for both staff and students. These include wearing shorts, dreadlocks, coloured hair, spaghetti tops, singlets worn in public, multi-coloured braids, long eyelashes, and even hugging and kissing. Male students are banned from wearing earrings, plaiting their hair or using tinted eyeglasses unless medically necessary. Sanctions range from counselling and removal from class to disciplinary hearings.

This strict control of students’ appearance reveals a worrying trend: universities are now more focused on how students look rather than what they are learning. Education should be about preparing people to think critically and contribute to the world, not policing their outfits.

As activist and publisher Omoyele Sowore rightly pointed out,

“Universities globally are spearheading novel ideas, solutions, and technologies, whereas Nigerian universities are regrettably fixated on inconsequential issues like ‘dress codes’ including braided hairstyles and hair colours of students. Shame on Nigerian universities Ahmadu Bello University Zaria.”

Sowore’s words reflect the frustration of many students, parents and education experts. Around the world, institutions such as Oxford, MIT and the University of Cape Town are investing in knowledge, research and innovation. Meanwhile, some Nigerian universities are channelling their administrative energy into banning dreadlocks and face caps.

To put this into a wider perspective, the case of ABU is not an isolated one. Across Nigeria, universities and polytechnics have been rolling out similar rules, often in the name of morality or discipline. Lagos State University (LASU), for instance, instructed lecturers to deny classroom access to students dressed in what the school described as “indecent” outfits, such as miniskirts, face caps, tight clothing, artificial dreadlocks or dyed hair.

Rivers State University issued a ban on students wearing miniskirts, tattoos, false eyelashes and ankle chains.

At Godfrey Okoye University, the Vice Chancellor prohibited staff and students from wearing T-shirts with “unauthorised” inscriptions and insisted male students must comb or shave their hair properly.

The Polytechnic Ibadan introduced rules that go beyond dressing: hugging another student, wearing nose rings or putting on a face cap “unconventionally” can attract a suspension.

Niger Delta University even proposed school uniforms for university students, charging up to ₦30,000 per uniform, before student protests forced them to withdraw the plan.

These repeated and excessive regulations, as education columnist Abimbola Adelakun notes, have become a kind of morality performance – a public attempt by school authorities to appear in control and morally upright. Adelakun writes that Nigeria’s historical leanings towards over-regulation, worsened by military-era mindsets, have created a society where everyone tries to control everyone else’s appearance.

Part of the pressure on public universities comes from faith-based institutions, which often impose rigid moral standards on students. Now, public universities seem to be competing with them, hoping to look morally credible by issuing dress codes rather than producing academic results.

Even more troubling is that these dress code policies often reflect class bias and gender bias. Many of the banned items are clothing or styles typically worn by women. Yet few policymakers consider whether a student’s tattered clothes or unkempt hair might be due to poverty, not rebellion. Rather than addressing economic hardship, universities punish its symptoms.

Some academics in Nigerian institutions even publish scholarly papers defending such dress codes, claiming society is suffering a moral crisis that must be addressed through student appearance. They often end with clichés like “the way you dress is the way you are addressed.” But such thinking is flawed and dangerous. If we judge people based only on how they dress, we ignore values such as humility, honesty and intellect. It suggests that someone in expensive clothes deserves more respect than someone less privileged but morally sound.

It is important to remember that universities have a duty to build critical thinkers, innovators and responsible citizens. If Nigerian higher institutions spent as much time on curriculum reform, research funding and student welfare as they do on appearance, the country would be much further ahead.

Universities, by their nature, exist to foster critical thought, encourage intellectual exploration, and develop future leaders and problem-solvers. Nigerian higher education institutions would achieve far more if they directed their energies towards academic reforms, research development, and student support. The time spent policing dress codes would be better used in addressing curriculum improvement, funding for research, and the provision of adequate facilities. Enhancing the quality of instruction requires ongoing investment in training for lecturers and the upgrading of libraries, laboratories, and classrooms.

A commitment to student welfare also demands the provision of robust mental health services, safe and affordable housing, and support for students experiencing financial hardship. Embracing modern digital tools would not only make learning more accessible but also align these institutions with global educational trends. Most critically, universities must protect students' rights, including the right to self-expression, so long as it is respectful and does not infringe on the rights of others.

I dare to say that discipline is not in forcing everyone to look the same. It is in nurturing young people to think clearly, behave responsibly and contribute meaningfully to society.

Nigerian universities must stop wasting time on superficial rules about clothes and instead focus on empowering their students to solve real problems. The future will not be built by regulating hair length or skirt width. It will be built by investing in innovation, research and meaningful education. Sowore’s criticism may sound blunt, but it is the truth many need to hear. Instead of reacting with defensiveness, university authorities should take it as a wake-up call. It is time to reflect, rethink and redirect.

Folaranmi Ajayi is an educator and policy writer with over a decade of experience. He writes on local education, policy, social justice, and inclusion.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng