Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has expressed concern over what he described as a recurring cancellation of university speaking engagements across Nigeria, warning that academic freedom in higher institutions may be gradually coming under pressure.
In a statement posted on Saturday via X.com, Obi said he was initially billed to deliver a keynote address at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, at 9am, before heading to Ibadan for a political summit organised by opposition parties scheduled for noon. However, he said he later received information that the university programme had been cancelled.
The former Anambra State governor noted that the incident was not an isolated case, adding that he had experienced similar cancellations on more than 10 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, citing the sudden cancellation of an inaugural annual lecture organised by the family of the late Professor Frank Ndili, a former Vice Chancellor of the institution, on the day it was scheduled to take place.
Comparing the situation with his international engagements, he said he had, within the last two years, delivered lectures at several leading global universities, including Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, the University of Chicago, the University of Pennsylvania, and Imperial College London.
“Those environments continue to demonstrate openness to dialogue, critical thinking, and shared learning — values that should equally define our own institutions,” he stated.
He questioned the implications of repeated disruptions of academic events in Nigeria, stressing that national development depends heavily on the free exchange of ideas and open intellectual discourse.
“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.
Obi urged a return to a system where universities remain committed to their founding ideals and continue to serve as platforms for unrestricted knowledge-sharing and academic freedom.