News Analysis – By Abdul Lauya
The gates of academia were shaken this week, not by the rigors of examinations, but by a viral video that sparked outrage, debate, and moral reckoning. In the now-viral clip, female students of Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago-Iwoye, were seen being physically screened before entering an exam hall, allegedly to confirm they were wearing bras.
Social media users, rights activists, and students alike condemned the practice, calling it degrading, invasive, and a gross misplacement of academic priorities. The video triggered a heated debate: Does OOU really have a “No Bra, No Entry” policy? Or is this another case of overzealous campus security interpreting dress codes through a cultural and moral lens?
What We Know So Far
The university has not released an official public statement directly addressing the specific incident in the video. However, Muizz Olatunji, the president of the OOU Student Union Government, confirmed that the checks were linked to the university’s long-standing dress code policy. He clarified that this was not a newly introduced regulation but an attempt to enforce decency during exams. Olatunji further stated that the student body is engaging with the university management to find more respectful and dignified methods of promoting modest dressing.
Anonymous student testimonies confirm that this enforcement tends to surface during examinations. “It happened to me last semester. If you’re not wearing a bra, they will stop you and ask. It’s embarrassing, but it’s how OOU operates,” a female student told reporters.
Cultural Conservatism or Institutional Overreach?
In the broader African context, especially in conservative university environments, modest dressing is often emphasized as a safeguard against indecency and temptation, with advocates arguing it helps reduce incidents of sexual harassment. The argument posits that flaunting sensitive parts of the body such as uncovered breasts or transparent clothing, can lead to moral distractions and even embolden predatory behavior, particularly in male-dominated academic environments.
Yet, this viewpoint, though rooted in cultural morality, fails to justify the humiliation that often accompanies such enforcement. Physically screening women for bras is not policy—it is harassment. Even if the dress code encourages modesty, the method of enforcement speaks to an alarming breakdown of institutional discretion.
Linking Decency to Discipline, Not Disgrace
While it is fair to argue that a culture of decency must be nurtured in learning environments, such efforts should be balanced, respectful, and educational, not punitive or shame-based. For every incident of suggestive dressing, there is a more serious, often ignored, threat: the unchecked rise of sexual harassment by university staff and faculty.
In recent years, Nigeria has witnessed several damning cases:
Professor Richard Akindele of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) was dismissed and jailed in 2018 after a viral audio exposed his solicitation of sex for grades.
Dr. Adebayo Mosobalaje, also of OAU, was sacked in 2021 for persistent sexual harassment.
In 2019, Dr. Boniface Igbeneghu, a University of Lagos lecturer and pastor, was exposed in BBC Africa Eye’s undercover documentary “Sex for Grades”, attempting to solicit sex from an undercover reporter posing as a student.
Each case drew national shame and global scrutiny, and proved a grim truth: predatory behavior isn’t caused by bras, or the lack thereof. It’s rooted in entitlement, abuse of power, and systemic failure.
So, Is the ‘No Bra, No Entry’ Policy Real?
Fact-check verdict: Not officially documented, but enforced.There is no publicly available, formal university policy titled “No Bra, No Entry.” However, unofficial enforcement of the university’s general dress code, especially during exam periods is real and recurring. The method of enforcement, based on multiple eyewitness accounts, includes screening for undergarments, which raises serious ethical and legal concerns.
While OOU may aim to promote cultural values of modesty and discipline, enforcement must not humiliate. A university is a space for learning, not moral policing. It should educate, not intimidate.
If the goal is to prevent distraction, protect dignity, and reduce sexual misconduct, the solution is not in the bras women wear, but in the boundaries men are taught not to cross, and in holding to account those who prey on power, not on clothing.
OOU, and universities across Nigeria must reflect: are we protecting decency, or are we punishing femininity?
