ABUJA: A human rights lawyer, Tope Temokun, has condemned the directive by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, banning staff of the Abuja Geographic Information Systems (AGIS) and the Department of Land Administration from entering their offices with mobile phones, describing it as unconstitutional and a violation of labour rights.
In a statement made available to SaharaReporters on Wednesday, Temokun said the policy was embarrassing, unconstitutional, and a gross assault on democratic values and labour rights.
The controversial directive, contained in an internal memo issued by the Head of AGIS, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, forbids all officers on Salary Grade Level 14 and below from entering office premises with their mobile phones, effective November 12, 2025.
Temokun, however, criticized the move as discriminatory and an attempt to promote secrecy within the FCT Administration.
The directive of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory banning staff of AGIS and the Department of Land Administration, particularly officers on Grade Level 14 and below, from entering their offices with mobile phones, is not only embarrassing and discriminatory it also represents a gross assault on democratic values, labour rights, and constitutional freedoms, he stated.
The Lagos-based lawyer linked the timing of the ban to the viral video of Wike’s altercation with a naval officer at a disputed property site in Abuja, calling the policy a “punitive reaction born of executive anger, not policy reasoning.”
That the directive was issued barely twenty-four hours after the video of the Minister’s altercation went viral shows fear of public exposure and scrutiny, Temokun argued. It cannot be rationalized as an administrative measure; it is a reaction driven by executive anger.
He further stressed that governance must be guided by law and not by personal temperament.
When a minister uses power to regulate the personal communication rights of civil servants, he acts like a maximum ruler who wants to hold others accountable but be accountable to no one, Temokun said.
Citing Sections 37 and 39(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Temokun said the directive infringes on citizens’ rights to privacy and freedom of expression
The Constitution guarantees the right to receive and impart information without interference.
A ban on mobile phones in the workplace is effectively a restriction on that right, he explained, adding that “no ministerial memo can override the Constitution.
From a labour law perspective, he said the order violates Section 254C(1)(f) of the Constitution and International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions on equality of treatment.
A workplace policy that singles out certain grade levels for restrictions is discriminatory and amounts to psychological coercion, Temokun said. Such acts instill fear and submission rather than discipline.
He accused the minister of attempting to erect a wall of secrecy around public service operations
By forbidding staff from carrying mobile phones which are tools of communication and transparency Wike’s directive is aimed at shielding the FCT Administration from public scrutiny, he said, warning that such opacity breeds corruption and abuse of power.”
Temokun urged the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and civil society organizations to challenge the directive immediately.
The FCT Administration must rescind this ill-conceived policy. The NHRC, NLC, and civil groups should jointly condemn and challenge it, he said, adding that “those who control power must learn that personal anger cannot become policy.
