Male Visitors: Lifted Bans, Closed Doors?
By Idowu Precious (Babosha)
For a rather long time prior to 2019, the social scene in the female halls of residence at the University of Ibadan was pretty regular. Friends of the opposite gender could linger in their female counterparts' rooms for hours well into the evening, male siblings could walk a sister back to her room, and these visitors often blended into the everyday activities of the hostels. It was not unusual to see a male friend dropping off food, or possibly coming in with his female friend after a long day of lectures for some quick revision or simply to spend some quality time together outside the tiring school hours. For many, these interactions were simply part of the hall’s social fabric, fostering the idea that the hostels were not merely regarded as places of residence but also as extensions of the University student community.
However, in August 2019, the University of Ibadan issued a directive that brought about a change in the common scenes at its female hall of residences: male visitors were no longer permitted beyond designated reception areas. As Premium Times Nigeria reported at the time, “The Residents of the aforementioned Halls can only receive their male visitors outside the Hall. Female visitors should be screened at the Porters’ Lodge.”
The management justified this measure by citing repeated cases of theft, vandalism, and security breaches linked to issues with visitor access. For the hall management, the directive was a welcomed safeguard. For residents, however, while it did serve as a means to safeguard, for some it was merely regarded as a “laughable traditional approach". Perhaps due to it marking the beginning of a new normal: one where personal interactions became restricted and routines were changed.
Six years on, the conversation is revisited. A recent survey distributed in Queen Elizabeth II Hall reignited the conversation, asking students for their view on lifting the ban. The release of this survey created a little uproar with responses revealing a rather divided stance between those who see the ban as necessary for safety, those who view it as unnecessarily restrictive, and others who have simply adjusted without much thought.
For many residents, the issue comes down to a thing of caution. They worry that lifting the restriction could reopen the door to risks that the ban was designed to prevent. Thus, they believe that keeping the ban is a straightforward way to safeguard both comfort and security within the halls.
Ramatoulaye, a resident of B Block, expressed this concern plainly: “Thievery has not stopped being a thing between then and now. Sure, there would be rules laid down by the management but the cunningness of a thief knows no bound. I feel like so much could go wrong…And this is even excusing the religious implications for we Muslim sisters as we would no longer be as free as we currently are with our dressing and manner of life. Personally, I'd hate to come back after a full day of classes and meet a man in my room. Like, why would a man be there?”
Her words echo the sentiment of many students who view the hall not merely as a place to stay, but as a sanctuary, a home. For them, maintaining the ban also equates preserving the sense of safety that makes the hostel feel like home. In their eyes, the absence of male visitors guarantees a space where privacy is respected and personal freedom remains uncompromised.
On the other hand are those who see the restriction as unnecessarily paternalistic. To them, the restriction undermines their autonomy as young adults capable of making their own choices about who enters their living space.
Chioma, a resident of G Block, was clear in her position: “It would be nice for guys to come in, really. Personally, I am tired of going down to meet my guys when they come to see me, and I know I am not the only one who feels this way. We are all adults, so it really is not a big deal if guys are allowed to come in.”
Her stance reflects a quiet dissatisfaction among certain students who feel the rule places unnecessary limits on their everyday lives. For them, the matter goes beyond convenience; it is about having the trust and freedom to manage their own living spaces in a way that reflects the independence expected of university life.
Between these impassioned arguments lies a quieter, indifferent perspective. For these residents, the presence or absence of male visitors does not register strongly in their daily lives.
Bukolami, a resident of E Block puts it simply: “Whether or not boys are allowed into the hostel is the least of my concerns. We already have quite a number of men in the hostel, from the porters to the men who come in for repairs to the church people and others who frequent the hall. So what is
a few more?”
For students like Bukolami, the discussion of the ban is less of a pressing concern. Life in the hostel would continue for them without much thought whether or not the ban is lifted. They believe that an ordinary rule barely holds enough power to derail nor define their daily routines as they are now.
Thus, what makes the conversation around male visitors in this hall of residence more compelling is that it runs deeper than its surface level appearance. It is about the University’s acknowledgement of its students' safety and sensibility. It is about what the hall presents to its residents.
Across Nigerian universities, the management of female hostels varies widely. At some private institutions, strict segregation of male and female spaces is enforced as part of broader codes of conduct with rules that even affect casual contact between members of the opposite gender past certain hours. In contrast, other universities, especially the older public universities, tend to be more flexible, albeit tempered by caution due to concerns over theft and behavioral misconduct. Obafemi Awolowo University, for example, permits male visitors into their female hostels between the hours of 4pm-10pm on weekdays and 12noon - 10pm during weekends.
The University of Ibadan’s decision in 2019 for a blanket restriction of male visitors in female hostels was notable not just for its firmness but for how decisively it broke with the relative openness that residents had been accustomed to. It reframed the idea of the female hall of residences and set certain boundaries where none were before. Scenarios where sounds of a male voice from a residents room (within stipulated hours, of course) would have gone unquestioned, became a breach of rules overnight. The effect certainly reshaped students' casual interaction between one another in places of comfort.
The present question over admitting male visitors into Queens Hall is, at its core, a balancing act. On one hand lies the need for safety, privacy, and comfort in a female-centered space. On the other lies the call for autonomy, dignity, and recognition of students as adults.
These arguments brought forward by the release of the survey are deeply rooted and tied to residents’ comfort and sense of safety. For some, the presence of men in their living quarters feels like a violation as while they may choose to not invite male visitors, they have no control on decisions made by residents of neighbouring rooms. For others, the absence of choice feels equally restrictive. And for many, the issue is simply one that does not warrant strong feelings in either way.
As such, while the responses from the survey are being collated and deliberated upon, one fact is already certain: the University Management has lifted the ban. What remains to be seen is whether the hall is truly going to open its doors.
Editor's note: To gain further insight on this subject, you may click here to read an editorial on it.
Note: names used in this article are merely pseudonyms used to conceal the identity of the speakers.
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