Sowore blasts Nigerian universities over dress code obsession, calls it ‘unacademic distraction’

Abdullateef Fowewe

Activist Omoyele Sowore has sharply condemned the emphasis on dress codes in Nigerian universities, describing it as a “foolish, idle, and unacademic distraction.”

Writing on X (formerly Twitter), on Thursday, Sowore lamented that institutions are focusing more on enforcing rules about blouses, skirts, and hairstyles than on fostering research, innovation, and academic excellence.

“The obsession with dress codes in Nigerian universities is one of the most foolish, idle, and unacademic distractions of our time.

When institutions of higher learning prioritize blouses, skirts, and hairstyles over research, innovation, and academic excellence, it’s a clear sign that the soul of the university system is in crisis,” Sowore had written.

He thereby warned that this misplaced priority signals a crisis in the soul of the university system and that if dress codes overshadow critical thinking, Nigerian universities are “truly lost.”

“If dress code enforcement becomes more important than critical thinking, Nigeria’s universities are truly lost,” he added.