Ideas and debates for good governance in Africa.

Friday, March 13, 2009

When Indecency Becomes Fashion

When Indecency Becomes Fashion
Indecent dressing in recent years has become an issue especially in our higher institutions of learning, offices, and even Churches. A lot of churches in Lagos and other areas in Nigeria have to force their members to adopt a dress code or uniform before they could be allowed to enter the churches. One will not be surprised by the upsurge of indecent dressing in our higher institution of learning considering the assumed freedom most students coming straight from secondary school think they have especially as they were (or we were told, because when we were in secondary school we were told that in university, a person is so free that he can wear knickers to class). That was the mentally most of us had.
Research by sociologists shows ‘that some of these girls dress indecently because they fear that since they are not beautiful enough, they may never get married. Also, ‘girls dress indecently because of inferiority complex, that is, most girls dress indecently because they believe they are not beautiful enough, and want to make up for their ‘ugliness’ by exposing some sensitive parts of their bodies to attract attention and possibly love.’
Most of these findings if not all are true, though I am not a lady and I can’t speak for them. But since we interact with them, discuss such issues, we hear their views concerning why they dress the way they do. The problem now lies in how to tackle the problem?
Universities like the University of Lagos, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria adopted the dress code option which they felt was a sure way of solving the problem. But trust our people, as soon as the dress code order started taking effect some undesirable elements within the institution gave it a different meaning by saying that some ‘fanatics’ want to turn the country into an Islamic state. This happened in ABU Zaria in 2006.
Under the pretext of fighting for their assumed ‘right’ some students went on rampage destroying all signboards put in strategic places to promote decent dressing, alleging that the pictures used in the signboards symbolized Islam. That was what led to the closure of the school. The issue was dropped by the school authorities or relaxed, because there was no agreement as to what is a ‘decent’ dress. I could remember having a heated debate with a lady at that time as to why should anyone determine the way she dress?
It is unfortunate that we are living in a society where immoral behaviour becomes fashion and whenever an effort is made to bring order into the society, some people will use religion as a shield to defend their immoral behavior. The issue of dress code was brought into the National Assembly but was dropped because some women groups felt that the bill violates women rights.
One other issue was the role of parents in ensuring that their children are decently dress. Islam for instance spelt out categorically how a woman can dress when going out of her house, whether married or not, provided she reached the puberty age. And I am not aware of any Christian teaching that says women must go naked. The portrait of Virgin Mary and the pictures of Nuns we see everywhere, show well covered ladies with only their faces shown, I don’t know why some Christians claim that dress code adoption means turning the country into an Islamic state.
Many a time you will see parents escorting their children to school, the children half naked, for registration without remorse or concern about the way the children are dressed. In the past, we thought that most of these girls don’t dress the way they do in school when they get home, but when you see a lady naked, accompanied by her father or mother in school for registration, you know something is wrong and indeed seriously wrong.
It is evident that parents do support the indecency of their children. How many times will you hear a parent telling his daughter that ‘she is a big girl’ so she knows what is good for her. This is wrong. Because that was not the kind of training we were given by our parents. One other thing is the role of the media in promoting decent dressing. Unfortunately, media are not helping matters. Go to Wuse market in Abuja today, you will see vendors selling all kinds of phonographic materials, and openly. I could remember reading a report in one of the national dailies that reported the issue but up till now, these vendors are still selling these materials openly, this is even moving to Kaduna and Jos around Leventis roundabout.
One other issue is the national television progammes on NTA - you wonder what they want to achieve by these programmes. Violating all rules that established them for financial reason, the NTA broadcast all kinds of materials which are very harmful to the thinking of our youths. Sometimes I wonder what the sponsors of such programmes want to achieve by such programmes. If they are really searching for talents as they say, why not go to universities to look for brilliant students and offer them scholarships?
For the NTA, you will find even some of their presenters wearing skimpy dresses, exposing contours of their bodies, live on TV. Can’t these presenters realize that they are role models? The NTA ought to know this. It is not Nigerian to pretend that what we are doing is right, knowing fully it is wrong. For instance, the programme sponsored by Maltina aired 10pm daily on NTA+ or the one sponsored by MTN – talents search, what do the programmes teach youths?
We have to redefine what our national culture is. As long as such programmes are allowed to go, and on a station regarded as an institution of promoting our culture then lets not deceive anybody of having a national culture.
Kabiru Danladi,
Lawanti village,
Km25, Along Gombe-Bauchi Road,
Akko LGA,
Gombe state.
Kblondon2003@yahoo.com08035150369,08054546764

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