Nigerian Afrobeats singer Fola, born Folarin Odunlami, has found himself at the centre of a heated social media debate after photos and videos from his final-year project defence at the University of Lagos went viral.
The singer, who defended his project in the Department of Economics Education, Faculty of Education, arrived on campus in a Cadillac Escalade wearing baggy trousers, a shirt, a scarf, and accessories, an appearance many Nigerians described as inappropriate for an academic exercise.
The images spread quickly on X, triggering a wave of reactions from users who questioned whether the university had relaxed its standards because of his celebrity status.
Many users alleged that regular students had previously been turned away from project defences over dress code violations, while Fola was allegedly allowed to proceed without any objection. However, no official confirmation has come from the university regarding any dress code breach or special treatment.
X user Nurse__lyon said that despite being a fan of the singer, dressing appropriately for a project defence was about respect for the institution.
“Don’t get me wrong, I love Fola, but there’s a saying, ‘Give unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar.’ It wouldn’t have taken anything from him to dress appropriately for an occasion such as his project defence. It also speaks to the indiscipline in our institutions,” the user wrote.
Another user, ithought__iwas2, shared a contrasting personal experience.
“I wore a shirt and tie with trousers and shoes, yet I was told not to come in for my defence. I had to borrow someone’s blazer before I was allowed to defend. Yet look at how Fola pulled up for his defence,” the post read.
Inspector__khay1 argued that wealth was no excuse for ignoring decorum.
“It wouldn’t have cost him anything to dress corporate, or at least wear something decent for his project defence. Being rich isn’t an excuse. There’s a time and place for everything,” the user wrote.
IbimBoyle put the double standard allegation plainly.
“Fola wore a crop top, chains and head tie to defend his project and no single lecturer was against it, but Emeka wore sneakers instead of corporate shoes and he wasn’t allowed to defend. Is Fola above the university laws?” the post read.
Not everyone agreed with the criticism. X user Damilaredeicon argued that corporate dressing was not a strictly enforced requirement in many Nigerian universities.
“The truth is, wearing corporate attire for project defence isn’t a strict requirement in many schools for courses that are not professional and I don’t think UNILAG enforces it that seriously. It’s really not that unusual,” the user wrote.
Several of Fola’s coursemates also shared photos with him after the exercise, indicating he completed his project defence without any reported incident. One user, Hbee__tech, noted that Fola had travelled all the way from Canada to defend his project.
As of the time of this report, neither Fola nor the University of Lagos had issued an official statement on the matter.
Digital Operations Manager at The Students Forum Nigeria.
