Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, has expressed concern over what he described as a growing pattern of cancelled academic engagements in Nigerian universities, warning that the trend could undermine intellectual exchange in higher education.
Obi disclosed that a scheduled keynote lecture at Obafemi Awolowo University was recently called off shortly before it was due to begin. The event was to precede his participation in a political summit in Ibadan.
According to him, the development is not isolated, noting that similar cancellations have occurred more than ten times in recent periods.
“While such occurrences may be dismissed in isolation… this has now happened more than 10 times. This is no longer incidental; it points to a troubling pattern,” he said.
He also cited a separate incident at University of Nigeria Nsukka, where an inaugural lecture organised in honour of former Vice-Chancellor Frank Ndili was reportedly cancelled on the day it was scheduled to hold.
Drawing comparisons with his international engagements, Obi noted that he had delivered lectures at institutions such as University of Oxford, Harvard University, and University of Cambridge, among others, where he said academic spaces remain open to dialogue and critical inquiry.
“Those environments continue to demonstrate openness to dialogue, critical thinking, and shared learning — values that should equally define our own institutions,” he stated.
Obi questioned the implications of restricting academic platforms, arguing that universities should remain spaces for 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?” he said.
The remarks have added to ongoing discussions about academic freedom, institutional autonomy, and the role of universities as centres for debate and knowledge production in Nigeria.
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