Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, has released a new dress code for all students and staff, warning that anyone who breaks the rules will face punishment.
The university announced the new policy in its official bulletin dated June 16, stating that indecent and offensive dressing will no longer be allowed on campus.
“The following descriptions and elements henceforth constitute indecent and offensive dressing as well as unacceptable appearance in public spaces in the university, and are considered as acts of misconduct,” the bulletin said.
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The new policy prohibits over 27 forms of dress and behaviour. These include:
- Shorts, skimpy dresses, tight or see-through clothing
- Male students plaiting or weaving their hair
- Dreadlocks or coloured hairstyles for both males and females
- Wearing trousers that stop between the knees and ankle
- Multi-coloured braids or long eyelashes for females
- Sagging trousers or ‘ass-down’ style
- Wearing face caps in an unconventional way
- Open hugging or sitting on laps of the opposite sex
- Use of body piercings like lip plugs, nose rings, and eyelets
- Wearing ankle chains and bathroom slippers (except on medical grounds)
The university also banned the use of coloured eyeglasses in classrooms and warned against tattoos and spangle hairstyles for males.
ABU said anyone who disobeys the dress code may be sent out of lecture halls, libraries, clinics, or offices, depending on how often they break the rules.
The university management explained that a Dress Code Implementation Committee has been set up to enforce the new rules and make sure both students and staff follow them.
The announcement has sparked reactions among students, with some calling the rules too strict, while others say it will improve discipline on campus.
One student, who spoke anonymously, said, “Some of the rules are understandable, but banning coloured braids and hugging might be too much.”
The university, however, insists that the dress code is meant to promote decency, discipline, and respect within the academic environment.