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.

Saraki stated this during a courtesy visit paid to his office by the Chief Commissioners and other National Commissioners of the Commission, at the National Assembly.

He added that: “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.”

The Senate president further emphasised 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.

He further reiterated the importance of transparency 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 and 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.”

He added: “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.

“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.

“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.”

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 organisations, 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.”

•Photo shows Saraki.

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