By LEONARD AJOKUBI

THE Public Complaints Commission (PCC) otherwise called the Ombudsman, was established to assist members of the Nigerian public in the informal resolu­tion of concerns and complaints that arise from and relate to the promulgation, en­actment, publication and application of rules, regulations, laws, government poli­cies and procedures in the general conduct of public and private businesses. Penulti­mate week, the Public Complaints Com­mission, Imo State, in line with the Com­mission’s policy, presented its 2015 annual report (1st January -31st December, 2015) to the public. The 60-page annual report contained all the programmes and activi­ties of the Commission for the year under review, including some of the major com­plaints treated, public consultative forums organized, staff position as at 31st Decem­ber 2015, budgetary review-fund alloca­tion/expenditure January-December, 2015 and statistical record of cases received, resolved and pending from January-De­cember 2015.

Addressing newsmen during the pre­sentation at the Commission’s secretariat, the Honourable Commissioner, Imo State, Chief Ambrose Uzoma Ugboaja, said that a total of 405 cases were received and ini­tiated in 2015, that out of the number, 302 cases were resolved and disposed while 103 cases are pending and still under in­vestigation.

As a Commission saddled with the re­sponsibility of restoring the dignity of man through the enthronement of rule of law and protection of the individuals and organizations against administrative injustice, Chief Ugboaja noted, “In Imo State, the Public Complaints Commission has remained in the vanguard for equi­table, fair and prudent use of and exercise of administrative powers in the conduct of both public and private incorporated busi­nesses. In our 2014 report, we did express our commitment to the continued pursuit of standard practice in Imo State that will guarantee the “enthronement and promo­tion of administrative fairness, procedural fairness, transparency, equity, rule of law and good governance in all govern­ment work places and incorporated con­cerns”.

He, however, noted that the Commis­sion pursued the ideal commitment vig­orously in the year under review and ad­opted the globally identified eight core characteristics for the measurement and attainment of good governance. The eight characteristics, according to him are that governance of both public and private concerns, including use of State power should be seen to be participa­tory, consensus- oriented, accountable, effective and efficient, equitable, inclu­sive and rule of law tailored. In line with one of its mandates which is to ensure that administrative actions by any per­son or body do not result in the commit­ment of any act of injustice against any citizen of Nigeria or any other person resident in Nigeria, the Commissioner, in 2015, organized a Public Consultative Forum on the proposed hike in energy tariff by the Enugu Electricity Distribu­tion Regulatory Agency.

In the report, Chief Ugboaja said, “The outcome of the research was circu­lated and presented to the Energy Dis­tribution Company. We discovered that fixed energy charges were not in line with best practices and inappropriate. We further noted among others that en­ergy consumers were willing to pay for only what they had consumed and an­ticipatory energy consumption bill was arbitrarily oppressive and fraudulent”.

Highlighting the role of the Commis­sion during the 2015 general elections, Chief Ugboaja averred, “The Public Complaints Commission as a social watchdog and a non-partisan institution committed towards good governance, fair and peaceful electoral contest, part­nered with the electoral body, some non-governmental organizations and religious bodies to preach tolerance, non-violence, non-purchase of votes with money or materials, non-thuggery or intimidation before, during and after the elections. We did issue press releas­es and in one instance, took a paid ad­vert wherein we advised Imo electorate to make a wise choice in all the

elections”

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Still in the year under review, the members of the Commission in Imo State visited the Imo State judiciary and discussed issues that constitute admin­istrative injustices within the judiciary system, including the system depletion of and non appointment of judges in Imo State. They wondered why a judiciary system that is supposed to be manned by about 31 judges, has as at Decem­ber 2015, a workforce of less than 13 judges, including the Chief judge and the administrative judge. According to the Commissioner, “It follows therefore, that justice in Imo State is not only de­layed but virtually at a standstill. Legal practitioners find it difficult to exhibit their art of law knowledge. Litigants now prefer self-help or unorthodox tri­bunals and the state government, whose responsibility it is to fast-track the ap­pointment of judges in the state appear indecisive or unconcerned”

Continuing, Chief Ugboaja, who said that the Chief Judge of Imo State, dur­ing the visit exhibited unusual courage and avowed determination to make Imo judiciary work again, said that as a re­sult of the success recorded in address­ing administrative issues of concern within the judiciary, the Chief Judge of Imo State extended invitation to the Commission to join in jail delivery ex­ercises in the two federal prisons in Imo State at Owerri and Okigwe. While saying that information is part of their working tools, the PCC Commissioner assured of guaranteeing and safeguard­ing the integrity and personality of per­sons who confide in them on any issue.

In the same year, the Commission in order to realize its set targets, mo­tivated its staff, as it gave attention to staff training, promotion, advancement/ conversion, payment of outstanding ar­rears and claims, and non-monetary in­centives like praise, recognition and re­wards to deserving staff. Indeed, there was an in-house training workshop for the newly recruited staff to acquaint them with the rudiments of the job, while two staff of the Commission benefited from the Leadership and Financial Audit­ing Training that held in Lagos and Kaduna States.

As a mark of accountability and trans­parency, the Public Complaints Commis­sion ensures that the federating States pre­pare and submit their annual reports to the headquarters, and it was gathered that the Imo PCC has been the first to submit its an­nual report since Chief Ambrose Ugboaja’s assumption of office in 2012. Again, the re­port of the Imo PCC, according to sources, is always the best, as they prepare it in line with the Commission’s guideline, meaning that the Commissioner, Chief Ugboaja and his team are not only committed to duty, but transparent. This may be seen as one of the reasons why he was re-appointed for the second tenure as Honourable Commis­sioner of the Commission.

The truth of the matter is that Chief Ug­boaja and his staff have done very well. The victims of administrative injustice in the State i.e. persons or complainants who individually and or collectively suffered physical, psychological, economic or ca­reer injury or rather substantial impairment of their administrative rights through act or omission of public or private institutions, including officers of such institutions, are now better informed on how to explore available resources and remedial windows and prepare a plan of action to address their concerns. The Commission achieved this through enlightenment campaign pro­grammes carried out through the use of jingles, posters, pamphlets, fliers, newspa­per publications, Issues of the Movement/ Phone-in programmes with select radio stations in the State.

What these show is that the Ugboaja-led Commission in Imo State upholds and guides jealously all the tenets, predilec­tions principles and best practice initiative of the global Ombudsman institution they represent in Imo State, as they have tried to make the Commission viable, accessible, unpolluted, independent and unbiased in all ramifications.

. Ajokubi writes from Owerri