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

• The policy has been met with backlash from students who feel the measures are extreme and infringe on personal freedom.

• While the university says the review aims to uphold morality and discipline, critics argue it reflects outdated views on expression and fails to consider evolving cultural norms.

The management of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, has sparked mixed reactions among students following the enforcement of a newly reviewed code of conduct that places strict restrictions on personal grooming and social behavior on campus.

The updated regulations, approved by the university’s Registrar, K. A. Bakare, in a memo dated June 13, 2025, ban actions such as hugging, kissing, and excessive physical contact between students. The school also outlawed heavy makeup, coloured hairstyles, dreadlocks, indecent dressing, sagging, hair braiding for male students, and other perceived forms of non-conformity.

The code, drafted by the Division of Student Affairs and reviewed by the Legal Review Committee, outlines stiff penalties — including one to two semesters of rustication — for violators. Offences like wearing transparent or sexually provocative clothing, tattoos, multiple piercings, jump tops, and T-shirts with obscene graphics could lead to immediate disciplinary action.

The policy has been met with backlash from students who feel the measures are extreme and infringe on personal freedom. While the university says the review aims to uphold morality and discipline, critics argue it reflects outdated views on expression and fails to consider evolving cultural norms.

The administration has yet to issue a public response to the growing criticism.