OAU Students React as University Bans Kissing, Heavy Makeup, and ‘Indecent Dressing’ on Campus

A newly enforced student code of conduct at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, has stirred controversy among students who say the policy is overly restrictive and violates personal freedoms.

According to a memo issued by the university’s Registrar, K. A. Bakare, and dated June 13, 2025, the revised regulations formulated by the Division of Student Affairs and reviewed by the institution’s Legal Review Committee prohibit several forms of personal expression.

These include hugging, kissing, and excessive physical contact, as well as wearing heavy makeup, coloured hairstyles, dreadlocks, sagging trousers, transparent or sexually provocative clothing, tattoos, multiple piercings, and clothing with obscene or suggestive images.

Male students are also barred from braiding their hair.

The university says the aim of the updated code is to restore “morality and discipline” across campus. Violations could result in strict penalties ranging from disciplinary actions to rustication for one to two semesters, depending on the nature of the offence.

However, the policy has sparked widespread backlash, with students taking to social media and campus forums to express their disapproval. Many argue that the university is attempting to police harmless forms of self-expression and enforce outdated cultural norms.

“This is 2025, not 1960,” one student posted anonymously. “Universities should foster freedom of thought and identity, not suppress it.”

Despite the rising criticism, OAU’s administration has not issued an official statement addressing the concerns.

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