Obi raises alarm over troubling trend in Nigerian Universities

---

---

By Madu Obi

Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Mr Peter Obi has raised alarm over what he described as a growing pattern of restrictions on intellectual engagements within Nigerian universities.

Obi's reaction followed the sudden cancellation of his scheduled lecture at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife.

In a statement on his official platform, Obi lamented that universities—traditionally regarded as “ivory towers” dedicated to independent and rigorous intellectual inquiry—are increasingly being pressured to operate outside their core mandate.

Obi said that he had been invited months earlier to deliver a keynote lecture at Obafemi Awolowo University at 9 a.m., before proceeding to Ibadan for a political summit, only to be informed at the last minute that the event would no longer hold on the university campus.

Describing the development as part of a disturbing trend, Obi noted that similar incidents had occurred more than ten times in recent months.

He cited a comparable situation at his alma mater, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where an inaugural lecture in honour of former Vice Chancellor Frank Ndili was cancelled by the university authorities on the scheduled date.

“These are not merely personal inconveniences,” Obi stated, warning that such actions signal a deeper erosion of academic freedom and open discourse.

.

According to him, universities should remain spaces for learning, debate, and the free exchange of ideas.

Drawing comparisons with his recent international engagements, Obi highlighted lectures he had delivered at leading global institutions, including University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University, University of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania, and Imperial College London, noting that such institutions continue to foster openness and critical engagement.

He questioned the implications of shrinking academic spaces in Nigeria, wondering the kind of nation being built in Nigeria if platforms for intellectual discourse are constrained.

Calling for a recommitment to the principles of free inquiry and knowledge-sharing, Obi noted that national development depends on encouraging debate, rather than restricting it.