The strongly-worded statement said every student in the university is expected to comply with the decision of the powerful union. It said the union, in cooperation with campus security, have embarked on a series of campaigns to raise students’ awareness about the grave consequences of degenerate behavior in general, and the phenomenon of revealing clothes inside campus in particular.

University’s Reputation

The union further said it felt incumbent upon itself to act to protect the university’s reputation. “The status of female students, which goes from worse to worst, is the main motive behind this decision,” the statement explained. It stressed that the decision was not religiously motivated, but was rather out of pure public morals that should be observed.

“Nudity has unfortunately become the fashion nowadays and girls have the gall to go out semi-naked under claims of personal freedom”. The statement stressed that the students should bear in mind that “freedom does have limits that should not be crossed.”

Provoked

Professor Benjamin Kayode, a Muslim, denied the decision was motivated by an Islamic lobby inside the university. “Most of the students in the university are Christians and the Akwa Ibom state is also predominantly Christian," he stressed.

Kayode said the decision is a key development in the university’s history, given its liberal- and –western-oriented agenda. "The union has been simply provoked and has swung into action by the abhorrent behavior of some students." He continued: “Many professors and lecturers disapprove of these obscene practices, and to my way of thinking the union’s decision is implicitly supported by the university’s administration.”

Fearing for the education system in the country, MPs put forward earlier in the year a draft law serving as a moral code for university students. The measure was put at the back burner for political reasons.

Revealing clothes are less and less seen in Nigerian universities in northern states which enforces the Islamic Shari`ah, according to IOL correspondent. Twelve of Nigeria’s 36 states have gradually applied the provisions of Shari`ah since the return of democracy to the country in 1999, despite the fierce opposition from the federal government.

Nigeria’s recent census shows that Muslims make up 55 percent of the country’s 133 populations, Christians 40 percent and five percent atheists. However, other estimates indicated that Muslims make up some 65 percent of the country.