CEO of the National Youth Authority (NYA), Osman Abdulai Ayariga, has waded into the growing controversy over the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA)’s strict dress code enforcement.
The lawyer openly sided with students.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Ayariga declared, “The masses are not happy with the UPSA authorities! Power to the students!!”
The statement has since gone viral and drawn a wide public reaction.
His remarks follow the circulation of disturbing videos showing a student being dragged across campus by a man believed to be part of a task force set up to enforce the university’s new dress code policy.
The policy, which took effect on July 1, 2025, prohibits students from entering lecture halls wearing items such as unkempt hair, shorts, bathroom slippers, tracksuits, anklets, and nose rings.
In a comment to myjoyonline.com, he clarified his stance, questioning the rationale behind branding certain accessories as “indecent.”
“Indecent exposure? Yes! But how can a nose ring and anklet be considered indecent exposure in a university?” he asked.
He stressed that the legal definition of indecent exposure typically relates to the public display of genitals or private body parts in a manner considered offensive, not fashion or cultural accessories.
UPSA, in a memo dated June 30, 2025, defended the policy, citing a growing trend of “indecent dressing” on campus.
The university said the enforcement was in line with its values of “scholarship with professionalism” and reminded students to comply with dress standards outlined in the 2018 Undergraduate Students Handbook.
But the backlash has been swift and mixed. While some students support the move, many have condemned the implementation as selective and discriminatory.
Several students alleged that enforcement has disproportionately targeted first-year students, leaving senior-level students unaffected.
Others shared frustration over being barred from lecture halls during assessments due to what were deemed dress code violations.
The debate has since ballooned into a national conversation about students’ rights, freedom of expression, and the role of institutional authority in regulating personal appearance.
Mr Ayariga’s intervention has added a political and youth empowerment dimension to the discourse, with many on social media applauding him for speaking out in defence of students’ dignity and autonomy.
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