The Public Complaints Commission (PCC) in Yobe State said it has resolved 560 of the 897 complaints received from the state’s 17 local government areas within its first year of operation.
The Federal Commissioner for Yobe State, Hassan Garba Katuzu, disclosed this in Damaturu during a briefing to mark the commission’s 51st anniversary in Nigeria and the first anniversary of its Yobe office.
Katuzu said the resolved cases represented 62.4 per cent of the complaints received, adding that the commission used mediation, conciliation, dialogue and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) to settle disputes without going to court.
He listed the cases to include land and family disputes, employer-employee disagreements, wrongful termination of appointments, unpaid entitlements, job scams, SIM ownership and electricity-related complaints.
“The remaining 337 complaints are being scrutinised for hearing. Our approach is to listen to both sides, mediate fairly and settle disputes amicably. This has saved people time and money while preserving relationships,” he said.
He said the briefing was aimed at sensitising residents to their rights and encouraging them to report administrative injustice, abuse of power and unfair treatment.
Katuzu described the PCC as Nigeria’s Ombudsman, established in 1975 through Decree No. 31 to protect citizens against administrative injustice and check excesses in public institutions.
He said the commission derived its legal backing from Section 315(5)(b) of the 1999 Constitution and the Public Complaints Commission Act.
However, he identified inadequate office accommodation, insufficient funding, shortage of vehicles and personnel, and low public awareness, particularly in rural communities, as challenges facing the office.
He also expressed concern over the failure of some respondents to honour the commission’s invitations, saying it affected efforts to resolve complaints.
Katuzu commended Governor Mai Mala Buni and the commission’s national leadership for their support, while urging residents to report cases of injustice and unfair administrative treatment.
