Prof. Butari Upah, a professor of pragmatics and discourse analysis at the Faculty of Arts, Department of English and Drama, Kaduna State University (KASU), has made a case for a dress code in the institution.
Upah makes the case at KASU’s 10th professorial inaugural lecture, held at the institution on Tuesday in Kaduna.
The title of his lectures was ‘Communicative Variables of Dress Pattern as Semiotic Feature in KASU as a Macrocosm of Nigeria‘.
According to him, rape and sexual harassment, which he described as a ‘nightmare‘ in schools and the nation at large, were attributed to dressing patterns.
He noted that his studies examined the dress patterns of members of KASU as a speech community, against many years of studies where communication was
Usually, communication is narrowed down to only written and spoken language, paying little attention to non-verbal forms of communication.
The dress pattern is capable of communicating to people besides giving outer cover to the body. It possesses verifiable and social milestones, philosophy and ideas, political contemplation, and religious beliefs about the wearer.
The context of a situation determines the dress pattern of members of the KASU community. Class, status, and schedule of duties constitute a strong factor in one’s dress pattern that is U community.
As a multilingual society,
The dress patterns of members of KASU reflect their various backgrounds, such as region, religion, sex, age, occupation, and social status.
“The inscriptions on the T-shirts of members of KASU bear messages that depict: intimidation, immorality, abstinence, materialism, sweetness, beauty, among others.
“Since one’s dress pattern bears semiotic signs and symbols capable of sending out significant messages and signals to onlookers, members of the KASU community need to be conscious of their outfits since what they wear is capable of creating a positive or negative image in general society,” he said.
Upah called on the university to urgently make official policies that would not just recognize the dress patterns of other ethnic nationalities in the country.
He also urged the university to declare cultural weeks where all members of the KASU community would be encouraged to appear in their outfits as a demonstration of Nigeria’s unity in diversity
“As a multilingual and multinational society, the KASU dress code should also encourage the use of the various traditional attires that abound in the nation, not just align with the Abrahamic faiths and the western dress patterns,” he said.
Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of KASU, Prof. Muhammad Tanko, said the inaugural lectures were academic matters and were designed to allow professors to showcase their research findings from its inception to the present.
Represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Administration, Prof. Yohanna Tella, said KASU had always encouraged its staff in research, noting that it was beneficial to academics and a way to address problems and gaps in society and the nation at large.
