In a move aimed at curtailing spread of videos seen as embarrassing the Federal Capital Territory Administration, officers from Grade Level 14 and below have been banned from coming to work with their mobile phones.
The directive to this effect was contained in an internal memorandum issued by the Head of Abuja Geographic Information Systems (AGIS), Chijioke Nwankwoeze, to all staff of the
AGIS and the Department of Land Administration.
The memorandum which specifically targeted all officers on Salary Grade Level 14 and below, forbidding them from entering office premises with their mobile phones beginning Wednesday, November 12, 2025.
The memo, issued by AGIS Management, reads in part: “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 Atlantic Bell reports that the directive was issued barely 24 hours after videos of the heated confrontation between the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, and a Naval officer, Lt. A. M. Yerima, at a disputed property site in Abuja went viral on WhatsApp. Sources said the videos of the confrontation were suspected to have been recorded and shared by AGIS staff to different group platforms.
“The minister was furious that the videos circulated among staff. He saw it as an act of sabotage. This phone ban is his way of showing anger,” said one source who asked not to be named.
The policy has sparked outrage among workers and civil rights advocates, who condemned it as primitive, draconian, and anti-labour. Critics say it reflects the minister’s growing intolerance for criticism and his penchant for authoritarian control.
“It’s absurd that in 2025, a minister would ban phones in a public agency because of a viral video,” one labour activist fumed. “This is not leadership—it’s paranoia in power.”
As of press time, the FCT Administration had yet to issue any official clarification regarding the controversial directive.
