Kogi State University: War Against Indecent Dressing

Students and workers of the Kogi State University (KSU) have been directed to dress decently. The directive is from  the management and a task force has been set up to implement the instruction to arrest anyone dressed indecently. 

Irked by the high number of students wearing provocative outfits, especially female students, in the school, the institution has come out with a dress code.

The information about the dress code was contained in a memo signed by KSU Registrar Dr Abubakar Iduh, and dated April 12.

The memo which was divided into two categories – ‘outlawed outfits for male students’ and ‘outlawed outfits for female students – aims to impact students positively.

It was gathered that the directive does not exclude workers who have been repeatedly urged to be role models to students.

Some of the outlawed dressing codes for males include: plaiting of hair and curly outlook; appearing in dirty and tattered jeans; and putting on dark or welder-like glasses. For the females, KSU proscribed short and skimpy dresses; undergarments such as singlet worn publicly; as well as putting on mini or micro skirts or micro-mini skirts or gowns, to mention just a few.

It was gathered that the school management has been having a running battle over offensive dressings by students for sometime, until it decided to take the bull by the horns.

The Dean of Students Affairs, Prof Sunday Arogba, said: “The management on its part is out to explore the image of the school in positive limelight as it has always been in past years. We want to make KSU to be reckoned with internationally by inculcating this consciousness of decent dressing in their minds.”

He continued: “To achieve this feat, we have established a task force to punish dress code offenders. As I speak, they are all on the ground to ensure that the students get themselves acquainted with these established laws.”

The Students’ Union (SU) President, Iko-Ojo Dominic, has called on fellow students to comply with the directive to avoid sanctions.

Iko-Ojo recounted that the management has a dress code in the Students’ Handbook. The flagrant abuse of the code coupled with the negative image it is giving the university necessitated the management’s re-enforcement of the dress code.

“These laws are entrenched in the Students’ Handbook and we expected all students should have been familiar with it by now. I think the management is only re-enforcing these as a reminder of what is contained in the handbook,” he said.

The SU’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Thomas Emmanuel, said: “The reason for this sudden action by management is to guide against the skyrocketed rate of insecurity in the school. Although, the management has been enforcing this, it was in a light way.

‘“You would agree with me that over 80 per cent of students in our citadels of learning today are the most difficult set of people to control. That’s the more reason the management is re-enforcing these laws against indecency in the school, as to have decent future leaders,” he added.

A student from the Department of Economics, who identified himself as Augustine Overcomer is, however, not happy about the directive.

“What is Kogi State University turning into?” Overcomer asked rhetorically.

“Students cannot keep hair, wear body-hugs and long rope sandals. To crown it all, you must not read beyond 8pm in the classroom, else you will be embarrassed by school security.  That means the voice of students no longer count here and our unionism is corrupt,” he said.

Overcomer has an ally in Abuh Julius, a final year Biological Sciences undergraduate, who equally voiced his disapproval at the punishment prescribed for defaulters.

“ Though it is a welcome idea from the school management, they didn’t inform the students before making arrests. So, it’s bad taking such decision without students’ prior notice,” Julius said with a sign.

‘’Personally, I don’t dress badly but I’m saying this for the sake of others,” he added.

Nevertheless, Aaron Ikani, a 400-Level Mass Communication undergraduate, urged his compatriots to oblige with the directives.

“Here is a popular saying: ‘The way you dress, that is the way you will be addressed,” said Ikani who is also a presidential aspirant in the school’s forthcoming SU election

“In my opinion, students are expected to look good all the time. Looking good alone makes you happy and it will speak well of you anywhere you go. Not only in school, but society also frowns on indecent dressing. I would advise my fellow students to look good all the time by following the outlined directives to the letter. When they (management) see no one to arrest, they will stop coming.”

Edegbo Juliana, a 100-Level Banking and Finance student of KSU, blamed the management for what she said has become ‘incessant harassments’ of students.

“They are not supposed to arrest us because we’re now mature. And by the way, is it arresting us that will solve the problem of indecent dressing?”

Meanwhile, two students who were victims of harassment by the school’s task force  operatives expressed their dissatisfaction  the disciplinary actions meted out on them by the management.

One of them, a 200-Level Public Administration undergraduate who pleaded not to be named, condemned the new order.

“I don’t know where on earth students are still treated this way for dressing according to what the society dictates. For crying out loud, this is a university environment and no one should be compelled to dress against his or her taste. It is really disheartening to see us treated this way,” said the source.

One of the security operatives who simply identified himself as BJ justified management’s deployment of its security officials to embarrass erring students.

He said: “Before now, the management forwarded circulars to various departments to warn the students about its plan against indecent dressing on campus. But, the students, particularly some female folk still put on transparent clothes with no pants to cover their private parts. As a result, the management has re-strategised to bring defaulters to book by giving order to the security arm to get such students arrested. Management is more determined to ensure students maintaining decent lifestyles on campus.”

One of the lecturers from the Department of Mass Communication, Mallam Onakpa Muhammed, also decried the high rate of indecent dressing in the institution.

“Indecency comes in different ways,: through dressing, spoken language and general interaction patterns. The most glaring is indecent dressing and it cuts across males and females on campus,” he said.

Muhammed continued: “The girls mostly believe that it is only when they wear skimpy things to expose their breasts and laps that they belong to the ‘modern world.’

“There are trousers meant for wild parties that they now wear to attend classes. It’s crazy if you ask me.”

Muhammed admonished the management to be more creative in its enforcement of the dress code so students could comply with the directives at will and not by compulsion.

He also said the crusade against indecent dressing must be carried by all.

“The job should be for every stakeholder! Muhammed argued.

“Parents, lecturers, Students’ Unions and others must continue to preach against the trend. The various religious groups should treat this with more seriousness. Punitive measures should be put in place. By the time a few are seen to have paid a heavy price for the offence, others will learn to be of good behaviour.”

Although, management has recommended no punishment for defaulters beyond harassing students or asking them to return home, Muhammed nonetheless feels management should complement the rule with punitive measures.

“For me, sanctions like suspension for weeks or months, writing letters of condemnation to their parents and so on will be ok,” he submitted.

Another lecturer from the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences who identified himself as Prof Olugbemi said:  “I don’t think any reasonable students in the Faculty (of Agriculture) would dress indecently because we are always known for dressing moderately in the school.”

The Nation