...calls action unlawful
Prominent Lagos-based human rights lawyer, Chief (Barr.) Malcolm Omirhobo, has strongly condemned the management of Delta State Maritime Polytechnic, Burutu, for placing a restriction on staff members from creating or operating WhatsApp group platforms among themselves.
The controversial directive was contained in a memo titled “The Proliferation and Abuse of WhatsApp Platforms in the Institution and the Need to Streamline/Harmonise the Various Groups”, dated June 11, 2025. The memo, signed by the institution’s Registrar and Secretary to the Governing Council, Mr. Ufuoma Oghovojah, followed the school’s 43rd regular council meeting.
According to the management, the directive became necessary due to what it described as the unchecked proliferation of WhatsApp platforms using the institution's name without prior approval. It alleged that some of these platforms were being misused for political purposes, personal vendettas, and to incite disobedience against constituted authority.
The memo emphasized that many staff members were no longer observing the professional and official tone expected in a government institution. Consequently, the management ordered that the DESMAPOLY Staff Assembly would serve as the central WhatsApp platform for all employees. Additionally, only officially approved platforms for schools, departments, directorates, units, cooperatives, unions, and cultural groups were permitted for communication.
Reacting to the policy, Omirhobo stated that such a restriction constitutes a gross violation of the staff's fundamental rights as enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution. “Restricting staff to only DESMAPOLY's social network and disbanding other existing platforms is a blatant infringement on their right to freedom of expression,” he said.
He cited Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights (Ratification and Enforcement Act, Cap A9, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2024), asserting that the action by the school is not only illegal and unlawful but also unconstitutional.
The lawyer urged the management of the institution to immediately withdraw the directive and respect the constitutional rights of its staff, warning that such authoritarian policies have no place in a democratic society.
