Students of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) who hug the opposite sex or females who wear bomb shorts will be rusticated for an academic session and a semester respectively, the institution said in a new proposed dress code that has sparked controversy on social media.
Heavy make-ups, sagging for male or female, and wearing of crazy jeans are among the new violations that get could get violators temporarily suspended from the institution.
OAU, located in Ile-Ife, Osun State, Southwest Nigeria, made the new dress code known to students an internal memo dated June 13, 2025, with reference number R/DCA/C/IB/XVI/12/266 and obtained by InfomediaNG.
OAU New Dress Code That Can Earn You Rustication
The institution list 26 dress codes that could earn a student two semester or one semester rustication, depending on the kind of dress code violation, saying the decision became important, “in view of the contemporary trend of events in the university.”
| Dress code | Santion |
| Sexually Provocative Dresses | Rustication for one semester |
| Backless Clothes | Rustication for one semester |
| Transparent Wears | Rustication for one semester |
| Off-shoulder Clothes | Rustication for one semester |
| Bomb Shorts | Rustication for one semester |
| Tattered Jeans | Rustication for one semester |
| Dread Locks | Rustication for one semester |
| Faring for Male/Cowries for Female | Rustication for one semester |
| Micro/Mini/Skimpy Dress | Rustication for one semester |
| Sagging for Male/Female | Rustication for one semester |
| Hair Braiding for Male | Rustication for one semester |
| Nose, Mouth, Eye, Extra Rings | Rustication for one semester |
| Unconventional wearing of face cap | Rustication for one semester |
| Tattoo/Indelible markings for males | Rustication for one semester |
| Crop/Jump Tops | Rustication for one semester |
| Multi-coloured braid for Females | Rustication for one semester |
| Haircuts with inscriptions | Rustication for one semester |
| T-shirts with obscene inscriptions depicting immorality, and hooliganism, etc. | Rustication for one semester |
| Heavy Make-ups | Rustication for one semester |
| Rumpled and dirty clothes | Rustication for one semester |
| Hair plaiting or weaving by male students | Rustication for one semester |
| Coloured Hair Styles | Rustication for one academic session |
| Hair Braiding for Male | Rustication for one academic session |
| Spangled Hair Style for Male | Rustication for one academic session |
| Unwelcome touching, kissing and hugging of opposite sex | Rustication for one academic session |
| Massaging or sitting on the lap of opposite sex | Rustication for one academic session |
Although the new dress code is still a proposal being considered emerged from the office of the institution’s Registrar and Secretary to Council, Mr. Adetunji Kamardeen Bakare and has been delivered to the offices of the Vice-Chancellor, Deputy VC (Academics), Deputy VC (Administration), Deputy VC (Research, Innovation and Development), and the Dean Student Affairs.
The proposal followed a decision by OAU Council to review Dress Code for Students of the University, the code tagged, “CONFIDENTIAL” said.