"24-Hour Freedom Thanks to Zero Cultism": OAU Director Schools Peller on Campus Greatness

A viral clip from Peller’s campus tour on March 21, 2026 shows the entertainer visiting Obafemi Awolowo University and being taught a little local pride by the school’s Director of Social Services, a student-elected official. In the clip the Director declares, “OAU is currently the only school in Nigeria that allows 24 hours movement due to zero tolerance for cultism,” a line that highlights the university’s hard-won reputation for safety and round-the-clock freedom on campus. Peller’s reaction stunned laughter and the kind of shocked body language that becomes a meme underscored how striking the claim sounded even to a visiting celebrity.

The statement taps into a long and painful chapter in OAU’s history. The campus, nicknamed Great Ife, has publicly defined itself as cultism-free since the July 10, 1999 massacre when Black Axe cultists killed five students, including Student Union leaders such as George Iwilade, known as Afrika. That event prompted mass student resistance and a durable zero-tolerance policy enforced by both the Students’ Union and university management, with severe penalties for any cult-related activity. The Great Ife Students’ Union has repeatedly reaffirmed that stance, including public statements in 2025 declaring a continued zero-tolerance approach to cultism and cult-like behavior.

Students at OAU often point to those measures when describing campus life: late-night studying, walking across campus after dark, and a lack of the curfews or lockdowns that other universities sometimes impose after violent clashes. The 24-hour movement claim functions as both bragging and shorthand for the safety culture the campus promotes.

The claim is not without perspective. It is exaggerated to say OAU is literally the only Nigerian school with low cult activity; other institutions also report low or no cultism. Still, OAU’s post-1999 history and persistent public posture make its boast feel more credible and more emphatic than most.

Peller’s stop at OAU did not end with the safety lecture. Clips from the visit show a brief culture clash when he declined to prostrate, a tradition some students expect of visiting celebrities, quipping that “my back no fit.” He walked through Aluta Square, the site linked to the 1999 killings, admired the Director’s unexpectedly well-appointed office, and listened to campus tales of student power that range from local enforcement to stories of OAU confronting larger authorities. The sequence played out as wholesome chaos: Peller getting schooled on campus greatness while his reactions fueled memes and a fresh round of campus pride online.