The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, has commended the Public Complaints Commission (PCC) for addressing disputes in the polity.
The Speaker, who made this known when the Chief Commissioner of the Public Complaints Commission, Abimbola Ayo-Yusuf, led the leadership of the Nigerian Ombudsman on a courtesy visit to his office at the National Assembly Complex on Wednesday in Abuja decried that decrying that the performance of the commission was underreported.
The Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Speaker, Musa Krishi, in a statement issued Wednesday said the PCC is a statutory body under the National Assembly.
Responding to the demands by the Chief Commissioner on issues affecting the PCC, Abbas noted that he was aware of some challenges facing the commission, adding that the House was ready to assist the management in addressing them.
He said: “The Public Complaints Commission is the people’s house because it is the only place where the common man can go and get redress. That is how we also refer to ourselves here. This is the people’s House where the common man can get redress on all issues that pertain to his endeavours.
“I want to use this opportunity to thank you and to appreciate you for all that you have been doing. I have been in the National Assembly for 12 years, so I am very familiar with what you have been doing over the years. You have been doing remarkably well.
“However, your performances, to me, are underreported. Only people like us who are within the system will be able to attest to what you are doing. I believe, with little publicity, people from outside the National Assembly will appreciate what you are doing.
“So, I want to urge you to keep up with the good work; to keep the flag flying and try to enlighten the Nigerian people on what you do so that they will not only appreciate what you are doing, but they will also continue to identify with you and utilise your services to get redress whenever they need one.”
At the meeting were: the Majority Leader of the House, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere; Deputy Minority Leader, Hon. Aliyu Sani Madaki; Minority Whip, Hon. Ali Isa; and Chairman of the House Ad Hoc Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon. Khadijat Bukar-Ibrahim.
Earlier, Ayo-Yusuf said the visit was to draw the attention of the Speaker to the underfunding of the Commission and appeal to him to use his office to urgently influence the Commission’s request for special financial intervention to enable it pay the approved Consolidated Legislative Salary Structure (CONLESS) as well as accumulated promotion arrears of staff.”l
He said due to the inability of the PCC to pay these outstanding liabilities, the three trade unions in the Commission have recently become agitated, adding that their industrial action is capable of eroding the confidence that Nigerians have in the Commission’s ability to resolve their complaints.