Sowore lambasted the institution's Senate for becoming what he described as a “Fashion Police Force”.
Human rights’ activist, Omoyele Sowore, has reacted to a circular issued by the senate of the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State, threatening to rusticate any student involved in any form of “indecent dressing.”
In separate posts on Facebook, Sowore lambasted the institution's Senate for becoming what he described as a “Fashion Police Force”.
He noted that every member of that University Senate who signed up to the policy should be fired for “indecent reasoning.”
Taking a swipe at politicians, Sowore quipped, “Tell me what the decently dressed thieves have done for you and your country all these years. Zilch!”
He further stated that Nigerian university senate members have produced rigged elections results without achieving academic breakthroughs.
His post reads, “This bizarre, backward and belligerently insane memo emanated from a Nigerian University, to be specific, this nonsense, was released from Adekunle Ajasin University in ONDO state.
“This state is always touted to have produced some of the best brains in Nigeria and now the Senate of the University must have recently appointed a “Hisbah” commander as its Vice Chancellor and the only thing the university could do was turn its Senate into a Fashion Police force.
“It doesn’t get worse than this. There is something wrong with the crop of leaders managing every aspect of Nigeria’s institutions life. How on earth do you RUSTICATE a student for one semester for INDECENT dressing?
“Every member of that University Senate who signed up to this rubbish should be fired for indecent reasoning! And as for the students, I dare say, RESISTANCE is your best bet! Aluta Continua! #RevolutionNow
"...I became a student of UNILAG in 1989 and left in 1995, there was never a time the University of Lagos authorities imposed a dress code on students. I can’t speak to what the mini tyrants did after we left. Prof. Nuruddeen Alao (A Muslim Scholar was our Vice Chancellor - Not a great fan of his but he never imposed any moral codes on campus).
“ULSU President, Olusegun Maiyegun wore his dreadlocks with pride. He would wear hats/caps to cover it because of DSS when leaving and returning to campus. I still see him wear hats over his dreads these days. We followed “RedDrum” as he was then popularly known, everywhere.
“We use to wear bathroom flip flops to class. No one dare ask us how to dress to class or on campus. It did not happen. Except you attended a different UNILAG in the 90’s. UNILAG students partied very hard (reason it was nicknamed “Eko-For-Show”) students organised beauty pageants on campus and even produced Nigeria’s “Most Beautiful Girl” at some point, I think her name was Sandra Petgrave, a student from Economics department. You could imagine that she couldn’t have “decently” dressed to win that title.
”Universities worldwide are not for enforcement of moral codes, they are places of research and learning. The content of a person’s character can’t be defined by the nature of their dress.
“Nigerian university senate members have only produced rigged elections results in the last 20 years or more. They haven’t had much academic breakthroughs; check the rankings of the best 1000 universities in the world tell me if anyone of them have dress codes, except in strictly religious nation states. Nigeria is a secular state.
“I spent two years studying at Columbia University in New York City, in front of the main admin building you would find female students on the stairwell sunbathing (tanning) during the summer months, topless. You have no business asking them why they’re doing so.
“It is their right. I’ve heard of nude colonies in some universities in California, yet they produce the cell phones you use and most of the hardware and software that drives your life. They are the same adults in Silicon Valley.
"They have what they call “Springbreaks” an annual ritual by and for students broadcast to the world via channels like MTV. The world has moved past Primordial Stone Age patriarchal /matriarchal chauvinists and moral guardians, they do these because you egg them on by falling for their tricks.
“Tell me what the decently dressed thieves have done for you and your country all these years. Zilch! These jobless Senate at Adekunle Ajasin University in Ondo state ought to be disowned, dissolved and disbanded with immediate effect. I thank you!”
The management of the school, in a circular dated September 7, 2021 threatened to rusticate any student involved in any form of indecent dressing.
It states that anyone who fails to comply with the directive will be rusticated from the school for a semester.
The circular with reference number AD/ REG//CIR/58/VOL. VI/309 was signed by the registrar of the school, Olugbenga Arajulu.
“This is to inform you that the Senate had at its 171st Regular Meeting of Wednesday, 25th August 2021, observed and frowned at (sic) the high rate of indecent dressing among the students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State.
“For clarity of purposes, indecent dressing includes, but not limited, to the following: wearing of skimpy skirts and blouses; leaving the cleavages open by female students; and wearing of braids or dreadlocks, earrings, nose rings, tattered jeans, sagging, etc, by some male students.
“After thorough deliberation on the issue, the Senate, in its wisdom, decided that the penalty for indecent dressing shall henceforth be rustication for one semester, effective from 25th August, 2021.
“Any student of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko who violates the above Senate decision on indecent dressing is deemed to have committed a misconduct and he/she shall be sanctioned accordingly.”