Saraki tasks Complaints Commission to ensure no more Impunity, injustice
Adetokunbo Fakeye
Nigeria’s Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki on Wednesday tasked the Public Complaints Commission (PCC) to ensure that the era of impunity and administrative injustice in the country are eradicated from the public service and the bureaucracy.
Dr. Saraki who stated this when Chief Commissioners and other National Commissioners of the Commission paid him a courtesy visit in his office averred that the principal reason for the establishment of the Public Complaints Commission was to protect the public from gross abuse of office by public servants, while pledging that the 8th Senate would strengthen the commission to enable it perform its constitutional mandate effectively.
His words, “As you said, you would soon be 40 years and I don’t think the impact that you have made in the society has been felt. I want to charge you as members that this is a golden opportunity to make that difference
“What you can be reassured of is that this Eighth Senate, my colleagues supporting, we will give you all the necessary backings to make that difference”.
He reiterated the importance of transprancy in the public life of all Nigerians, saying, “this is the beginning of our accountability to the Nigerian people, what makes a society is for people to have a sense of belonging, to have a sense of ownership of their governance and commissioners like you.
“Those who set up this commission 40 years ago had good intentions and I believe that if we had done our own part and seeing that it worked, it would have played a great role in this our society because the real reason is for us to be able to address people’s complaints about the public service.
“The society and country we are proud of, it is because the public or public servants, elected officials know that they are accountable to the people and also know that if they do anything wrong, there are commissions like this, they have the capacity and ability and they will make sure that things are done properly.
“But in our society over the years, it is the belief that it is commissions like yours that should be empowered, are left there and are just there by name, beyond that you even walk and pass as chairman and nobody even know that you head such a commission. It should not be the case. People in public service should have high regard for the Public Complaints Commission; the public too should have high regard and interest in what you do.
“The name of PCC should make people in the public service sit up. But it is not the case. But I hope that under your time with our support, it won’t be the case. Because what is affecting this country is this impunity, that people believe that they can get away with anything and nothing can be done. I want to assure you that the Eighth Senate will do all that we can so that you will have bites.
“You must show your strength and be able to do what is right and be assured that we will back you fully. I think if there are areas that need our amendments… I was going through your laws; I saw that the penalty for any offence is merely N500, that does not help anybody.
“When the fine is just N500, the man will just ignore you. You must be able to sanction, you must be able to make examples and we as a Senate will back you up with those examples.
“I want to assure you that this Eighth Senate you are seeing here, we have taking it in mind that things are going to be different in this country. Whether anybody likes it or not, all of us you see here are committed to that and we want a commission like yours under us to be able to do that and I hope that you will not disappoint us.
“Be rest assured that we are totally behind you. We don’t want a complaint commission that has no say, that nobody respects. No. Then, why are you sitting down there. It is time now for us to let Nigerians be accountable. If somebody has done something wrong, I can write somewhere and something will be done.
“That is enough even to check people. Where people believe that nothing can be done, I don’t think this our country will improve but if this Public Complaints Commission is strong, Nigeria would become better.
“I want to challenge you and I hope that sometime down the line, after a few months, you will come back and give us progress report on what you have been able to do, what cases you have addressed, what changes you have made because if you don’t do that, then we have to start looking at you and you will see what we too can do. The era of impunity is over,” Saraki told the national commissioners of the PCC.
Earlier in his speech, the Chief Commissioner of the Commission, Chief Emmanuel Ogbile, said that one of the challenges confronting the body is that the respondents to their queries don’t take them serious, despite various measures put in place by the commission.
On funding, he said, “I don’t need to complain about funds because I know where we are as a nation,” adding, “We are working, we may not have been heard as other organizations, but we have been working to ensure that the responsibilities you placed on us are attended to and discharged.
“We intend to continue to work. We appreciate the job given to us and we don’t intend to fail the nation,” he said.