In a bid to arrest the postmodern slide in fashion, the Management of the Federal Polytechnic Nekede, through the Division of Student Affairs of the institution, has held a sensitization workshop for students of the pace-setting institution.
Declaring the occasion open penultimate Friday at the 1000-capcacity auditorium, the Rector of the institution, Engr. Dr. Michael Arimanwa FNSE, expressed joy at the presence of students and women of Umudibia who were invited to participate at the workshop. The Poly boss stated unequivocally that “dressing is important because one can be recognized by the way one dresses,” thereby underpinning the aphorism that one is addressed the way one is addressed.
The cerebral Rector also identified fashion as a form of self-expression which distinguishes a person from the crowd, insisting that students must express themselves in a fashion consistent with the discipline of education.
While acknowledging that indecent dressing could be distracting to the menfolk, the Poly Chief Executive observed that the latter have it as a duty to exercise restraint in order to maintain social stability.
The award-winning Rector also debunked the claim that only women needed to be lectured about indecent dressing, stating that men needed the lecture also because if they refused to get seduced by lewdly dressed ladies, indecency would no longer make sense to the female-folk. He, therefore charged participants to take the lessons of the workshop home in order to sensitize those that are absent as he expressed confidence at the quality of resource persons chosen for the event.
The Rector concluded his speech by telling a touching story of a young man gunned down by the police in Aba some years ago because his dressing gave him off as a “Bakassi boy” even when he was not one.
He challenged participants at the workshop to learn to dress responsibly and ethically so as to build a good reputation of themselves. He also advised Umudibia women to ensure they give students living in their houses code of conduct on dressing as a way of checking students’ slide to unethical fashion.Three guest lecturers added intellectual colour to the event.
In a paper entitled “Concepts and Types of Indecent Dressing,” Prof Joan Arimanwa, Grand Patron of FEPNOWA, elaborately discussed the multiple concepts of decent and indecent dressing, dressing culture, types of indecent dressing and effects of indecent dressing. More importantly, the university don postulated that decent dressing “elicits respect and protects one’s dignity,” while protecting one from all forms of harassment and molestation.
On his own, Dr. Kanu Ndubuisi, who presented a paper on the consequences of indecent dressing, described it as a social malady which makes a person to expose a good portion of their body parts which should have been covered.
He identified peer group pressure, demonic oppression and low self-esteem, among others as some of the causes of indecent dressing. Like the first speaker, Dr Ndubuisi revealed that indecent dressing could lead to sexual harassment, unwanted pregnancies, distractions and even academic failures.
Meanwhile, the Registrar of the Polytechnic, Mrs Eucharia Anuna, in her paper which is predicated on the attributes of women of dignity stated that women of dignity are those who fear God and express the virtues of love, trust, courage, intelligence, discipline and commitment among others.
She exhorted female participants to carry themselves with dignity in the manner of their dressing so as to be role models to others. At the end of the thought-provoking lectures, there were questions and comments from participants in reaction to the lessons learnt.
