Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has expressed concern over what he described as a growing pattern of cancelled academic engagements in Nigeria’s universities, warning that it poses a threat to intellectual freedom in higher institutions.
In a statement posted on his X account on Saturday, Obi said he was scheduled to deliver a keynote lecture at Obafemi Awolowo University at 9am, before proceeding to a political summit in Ibadan later in the day, when he was informed that the university event had been cancelled.
He described the incident as part of a wider trend, alleging that similar cancellations have occurred more than 10 times in recent periods.
“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.
Obi also cited a similar case involving his alma mater, the University of Nigeria Nsukka, where an inaugural annual lecture organised in honour of the late Professor Frank Ndili was reportedly cancelled by the institution on the day it was scheduled to hold.
The former governor of Anambra State contrasted the situation with his experience abroad, noting that he has delivered lectures in top global universities including Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and others, where academic freedom and open dialogue are strongly upheld.
He questioned what repeated cancellations of academic engagements say about Nigeria’s democratic and intellectual environment, stressing that national progress depends on the free exchange of ideas.
Obi called for stronger protection of academic spaces, urging that Nigerian universities remain committed to their foundational role as centres of learning, debate, and intellectual development.
