Former presidential candidate Peter Obi has expressed concern over what he described as a growing pattern of restrictions on intellectual engagements in Nigerian universities, following the abrupt cancellation of a lecture he was scheduled to deliver at Obafemi Awolowo University.
In a statement posted on his official platform, Obi said he had been invited months earlier to present a keynote address at the Ile-Ife-based institution at 9 a.m., before proceeding to Ibadan for a political summit.
However, according to him, he was informed at the last minute that the event would no longer hold on the university campus.
Obi described the development as part of a troubling trend that, in his view, reflects increasing pressure on universities to deviate from their traditional role as centres of independent thought and rigorous intellectual inquiry.
“Universities are meant to be ivory towers,” he stated, warning that constraining academic engagements undermines their core mandate of fostering debate, learning and the free exchange of ideas.
The former Anambra State governor revealed that the OAU incident was not isolated, claiming that similar cancellations have occurred more than ten times in recent months.
He cited a comparable experience at his alma mater, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where an inaugural lecture organised in honour of former Vice Chancellor Frank Ndili was reportedly cancelled by university authorities on the scheduled date.
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“These are not merely personal inconveniences,” Obi said, arguing that such actions signal a broader erosion of academic freedom in the country.
Drawing a contrast with his recent international speaking engagements, Obi listed institutions where he has delivered lectures, including the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University, the University of Chicago, the University of Pennsylvania, and Imperial College London.
According to him, these global institutions continue to uphold traditions of openness and critical engagement, providing platforms for robust intellectual discourse regardless of political differences.
He questioned what it means for Nigeria’s development if spaces meant for scholarly exchange are perceived to be shrinking.
Obi concluded by urging Nigerian universities and relevant stakeholders to recommit to the principles of free inquiry and knowledge-sharing. He stressed that national progress depends on encouraging diverse perspectives and constructive debate rather than limiting them.
“Development thrives where ideas are allowed to compete freely,” he said, calling for the protection of academic spaces as vital pillars of democracy and nation-building.