Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, has expressed concern over what he described as a recurring cancellation of academic engagements in Nigerian universities, warning that it signals a growing danger to intellectual freedom within higher institutions.
In a statement posted on Saturday via X.com, Obi said he was expected to deliver a keynote lecture at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, at 9am, before heading to Ibadan for an opposition political summit scheduled for noon, but was later informed that the university event had been cancelled.
According to him, this was not an isolated case, as he claimed similar incidents had occurred on more than ten occasions.
“While such occurrences may be dismissed in isolation, it is important to state clearly that this has now happened more than 10 times. This is no longer incidental; it points to a troubling pattern that should concern all well-meaning Nigerians,” he said.
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Obi further disclosed that even his alma mater, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, was affected, explaining that an inaugural annual lecture organised by the family of the late Professor Frank Ndili, a former vice chancellor of the institution, was abruptly cancelled on the day it was scheduled to hold.
He contrasted the situation with his recent academic engagements abroad, noting that within the last two years, he had been invited to speak at globally renowned institutions such as University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University, the University of Chicago, the University of Pennsylvania, and Imperial College London, among others.
He said those institutions continue to demonstrate openness to dialogue, critical thinking, and shared learning, adding that such values should also define Nigerian universities.
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Obi questioned the implications of repeated disruptions of academic events, stressing that national progress depends on the ability to encourage open debate and the free exchange of ideas.
“We must ask ourselves: what kind of nation are we building if spaces meant for intellectual engagement are gradually shrinking? A country’s progress is anchored on its ability to encourage knowledge, debate, and the contest of ideas, not restrict them,” he said.
He called for a Nigeria where intellectual discourse is not hindered and where universities remain faithful to their foundational principles of learning and free inquiry.
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