The Incident and Immediate Reactions
The 10-second clip, which surfaced on X on June 17, 2025, captured female students queuing outside an exam hall at OOU’s main campus in Ago-Iwoye. University officials, reportedly female staff, were seen physically inspecting students’ chests to enforce the bra requirement. The video, shared by users like Pulse Nigeria, triggered a storm of reactions. Many condemned the practice as invasive, sexist, and akin to sexual assault. A senior official from the Human Rights Network, Haruna Ayagi, told BBC News, “Unwarranted touches on another person’s body is a violation and could lead to legal action.”
Students expressed frustration and humiliation. An anonymous student told Punch Nigeria, “It has happened to me once, even though I felt embarrassed. That is OOU and their nonsense.” Another student, identified as Chioma, decried the overreach of security officials, stating, “OOU doesn’t have respect for its students to the extent that ordinary security officers will be running after us because of slippers, shorts, and now bras.”
While some X users defended the policy, arguing it promotes decency, the majority criticized it as a gross invasion of privacy. For instance, user @Ezeluchien wrote on Naija News, “Idiocy is overtaking the Nigerian space. A public university enforces a ‘no-bra-no-entry’ policy for female students.” The OOU Student Union President, Muizz Olatunji, defended the policy on X, stating it was part of a long-standing dress code to ensure a “respectful and distraction-free environment.” However, he acknowledged the need for alternative enforcement methods, admitting the physical checks were problematic.
University’s Response and Silence
As of June 19, 2025, OOU’s administration has not issued an official statement on the incident, a silence that has fueled further criticism. The lack of response contrasts with the student union’s engagement, which promised to explore “respectful and dignified interactions” with the university management. This absence of institutional accountability has intensified calls for legal action and policy reform, with human rights groups suggesting students could sue for rights violations.
The Broader Context: Dress Codes in Nigerian Universities
The OOU incident is not an isolated case but part of a broader pattern of gender-restrictive dress codes in Nigerian universities. A 2016 study by Natalia Anigbogu, published on Academia.edu, found that dress code policies disproportionately target female students, reflecting deep-seated gender biases. The study noted that 73.8% of respondents supported dress codes, citing moral principles and concerns about sexual harassment, yet over 70% of students believed dressing does not affect academic performance, a view often contradicted by lecturers.
These policies are frequently justified as promoting decency or preventing harassment, but they place the burden on women to modify their appearance rather than addressing the behavior of potential harassers. For instance, OOU’s dress code bans clothing “capable of making the same or opposite sex to lust after the student in an indecent manner,” a vague and subjective standard that reinforces stereotypes about women’s bodies as inherently provocative.
Other Nigerian universities have similar policies, particularly in faith-based and public institutions. A 2021 article in The Guardian Nigeria noted that since the early 2000s, many universities launched crusades against “indecent dressing,” often targeting female students. Such policies contribute to a culture of victim-blaming, where women are held responsible for others’ actions based on their attire.
Feminist Perspectives on Dress Codes
From a feminist viewpoint, policies like “no bra, no exam” are deeply problematic. They perpetuate the objectification of women by framing their bodies as distractions that must be controlled. An article from Rethinking Schools argues that dress codes are a “stand-in for all the ways girls feel objectified, sexualized, unheard, treated as second-class citizens by adults in authority.” This objectification can undermine women’s self-esteem, academic performance, and overall well-being.
Feminists advocate for educational environments that respect bodily autonomy—the right of individuals to make decisions about their own bodies without external interference. Forcing female students to wear bras or subjecting them to physical checks violates this principle. Instead, institutions should focus on fostering respect, consent, and equality, addressing the root causes of harassment rather than policing women’s clothing.
Legal and Human Rights Implications
The physical checks at OOU could constitute assault or harassment under Nigerian law. The Nigerian Constitution guarantees the right to dignity, and invasive actions like touching students’ chests without consent could be grounds for legal action. Human rights organizations, such as the Human Rights Network, have emphasized that students could sue the university for violating their rights, a sentiment echoed by X users like @kastrotwits, who urged, “That’s a human rights violation. Sue them!!!”
Moreover, a 2023 paper on ResearchGate argues that compulsory dress codes in Nigerian universities may infringe on freedom of expression and non-verbal expression, further complicating the legal standing of such policies.
References
- Olabisi Onabanjo University’s ‘No-Bra, No-Exam’ Rule Sparks Outrage
- OOU Sparks Reactions Over ‘No Bra, No Exam’ Policy
- OOU Sparks Outrage Over ‘No Bra, No Exam’ Policy
- OOU Faces Backlash Over ‘No Bra, No Entry’ Exam Rule
- Dress Code Policies in Nigerian Universities and Gender Responsiveness
- Girls Against Dress Codes
- In Search of Dress Code for Nigerian Undergraduates
- Unconstitutionality of Compulsory Dress Codes in Nigeria’s Higher Institutions