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20-06-2025
ABUJA: A university in Nigeria has sparked outrage after a video went viral showing female students being touched to see if they were wearing bras before taking part in an exam.
In the footage, female staff at Olabisi Onabanjo University in south-western Ogun State are seen touching some students’ chests as they queue to enter an examination hall.
The university has not yet commented on the video but a student leader defended the bra policy as being part of the institution’s dress code aimed at maintaining “a distraction-free environment”.
However, he acknowledged that other ways were needed to enforce the policy that has been condemned by critics as archaic, sexist and likened to sexual assault.
A senior official at campaign group Human Rights Network told media that students could sue the University for violating their rights.
“Unwarranted touches on another person’s body is a violation and could lead to legal action. The university is wrong to adopt this method to curb indecent dressing,” Haruna Ayagi said.
A student who did not want to be named told media that the university enforced a strict moral code despite not being a religious institution.
She said their clothes were always being checked.
In response to the outcry, the president of the university’s students’ union, Muizz Olatunji, said on social media that the university promoted “a dress-code policy aimed at maintaining a respectful and distraction-free environment, encouraging students to dress modestly and in line with the institution’s values”.
He added that the policy was not new, and the union had “engaged with the institution to explore alternative approaches to addressing indecent dressing, focusing on respectful and dignified interactions between students and staff”.
He also published the dress code, which included a ban on any clothes “capable of making the same or opposite sex to lust after the student in an indecent manner”.
The university was founded in 1982 as Ogun State University when Olabisi Onabanjo was state governor. It was renamed after him in 2001.
Thousands gathered on Sunday in an ancient town in south-west Nigeria for a spectacular display of culture, colour and tradition.
The Ojude Oba festival in Ijebu-Ode, brought together locals and visitors to pay homage to the Awujale, the traditional ruler of the Ijebu people.
This union of drummers, musicians and dancers coupled with a fashion parade told a tale of people deeply connected to their roots.
Ojude Oba, a Yoruba phrase meaning “the kings forecourt”, began over two centuries ago.
Earmarked for the third day after Eid, this was originally a modest gathering of the Muslim faithful, thanking the king for allowing them to practice their religion freely but it has grown to symbolize pride, unity and identity among all the Ijebu people regardless of religion.
The women were elegantly turned-out in colorful traditional dresses, known here as iro and buba, along with the gele, or head wrap.
Their outfits were made from lace or aso-oke, a locally sourced fabric woven by the Yoruba people.
The sunglasses and hand fans meant to provide respite for the blistering sun were must-have accessories, complementing the looks.
Dressed in traditional Yoruba agbada, the men agree months ahead on what outfits, color and accessories to use for the festival. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
