Public Complaints Commission seeks amendment to act establishing it – Chief Commissioner

Public Complaints Commission seeks amendment to act establishing it – Chief Commissioner

By Joan Nwagwu

The Public Complaints Commission (PCC) says it wants the act establishing the commission amended to make it productive institution to deliver the required justices firmly and fairly to those oppressed in the country.

Mr Chille Igbawua, the new Chief Commissioner of PCC, said this while briefing newsmen at a reception organised by the commission to welcome him and other new commissioners in Abuja.

The National Assembly had on Wednesday inaugurated the Chief Commissioner and other commissioners at the Assembly Complex.

Igbawua said the amendment of the act was necessary because there were areas in the act that are lacking in order to deliver the required justices firmly and fairly to those oppressed in the country.

According to him, we shall quickly get the National Assembly to ensure that the act is amended so as to make the commission a productive institution to the citizens.

“Also the act establishing this commission has some hidden powers, which if not well read you may think they are not there.

“Sometime, somebody may think this commission is a dog that only bark but cannot bite.

“But I want to assure you that built inside the act itself, there are sanctions which this commission can apply and there are provision for compelling attendance,‘’ he said.

The Chief Commissioner while speaking about the commission said the commission was a foremost anti-corruption agency that deals with administrative corruption.

He noted that administrative corruption was more devastating than financial and economic crimes as its deals with incidents directly affecting the citizens.

Igbawua said the commission protects both the citizens and all other foreigners that reside in Nigeria and the jurisdiction of the entire country.

“One of the issues that I have being briefly informed is that we have cases of people who have been invited to the commission to appear and you have people who are either negligent or intransigent.

“This commission under my watch will not tolerate intransigent from any quarters. Any person who is supposed to appear shall appear.

“We shall apply the full force of the law to ensure that citizens that had being wronged and have come before us are given justices .We shall deliver justices firmly and fairly.

“We will also look at the areas which the commission have been failing and the areas which we are going to concentrate on,” he said.

He also warned that apart from public officers who have immunity, no other person was beyond the reach of the commission.

Igbawua assured Nigerians that cases that are pending would be treated promptly, saying the commission has the statutory powers to ensure that its decisions are enforced.

He also said that the commission would be collaborating with the media, states and local governments to sentise the public on programmes and activities of the commission.

According to him, the commission is going to hold seminars and sensitisation programmes, public hearings and also distribute pamphlets that will contain the nature of complaints that can be brought before this commission.

“Also, how these complaints can be brought and what remedies are available for the complaints, and one thing I can assure the public is that we shall receive and treat all complaints assiduously, ’’he said.(NAN)