The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has issued a sweeping directive banning the use of mobile phones by staff members of the Abuja Geographic Information Systems (AGIS) and the Department of Land Administration.
The latest controversial directive is contained in an internal memo directed that all officers on Salary Grade Levels 14 and below should stop carrying their phones while entering their offices with effect from November 12, 2025.
The memo which was signed by Chijioke Nwankwoeze, Head of AGIS, specifically stated; “There shall be a ban on the use of mobile phones within the office premises for all officers on Salary Grade Level (SGL) 14 and below.
“Affected staff are not permitted to enter the premises with their mobile phones henceforth”.
The directive was issued less than 24 hours after videos of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike’s near fisticuffs confrontation with a Naval officer at a property site in Abuja went viral on social media.
It was gathered that Wike was furious that the videos circulated from and among staff, a development he considered as an act of sabotage, thus directed the complete ban on the use of phones.
Expectedly, the directive sparked outrage among workers and civil rights advocates, who condemned it as draconian, primitive, and anti-labour, demanding to know where he got such powers from?
This was as critics noted that the FCT Minister’s action reflects his known and growing intolerance for criticisms and his penchant for authoritarianism.
“It’s absurd that in 2025, a minister would ban phones in a public agency because of a viral video. He has reduced civil servants to the level of his house helps. If he is not shouting at staff, he is suspending staff on very flimsy excuses.
“What is the minister hiding? How and why would he ban the use of phone in this modern day? What happens where someone has an emergency and cannot be reached? This is not leadership, but paranoia in power,” a labour activist said.
The FCT Administration is yet to issue any official clarifications regarding the controversial directive.
