The Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions on Tuesday called for the employment of more judges in the Public Complaints Commission (PCC) to enable the agency to effectively address the increasing volume of complaints from Nigerians.
The committee noted that although the commission currently has eight judges, the number is insufficient to handle the high volume of cases it receives annually.
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Chairman of the committee, Neda Imasuen, said this while presenting the 2025 budget estimates for the agencies under his supervision to the Senate Committee on Appropriations.
Aside from the PCC, the committee also oversees the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).
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“There are only eight judges; eight judges cannot, will not, be able to do the needful as they are statutorily required to do. So there’s going to be hiring of judges as well,” he said.
The PCC is Nigeria’s ombudsman institution established to investigate administrative injustices and redress grievances filed by members of the public against government ministries, departments, agencies, and private organisations.
The commission was created under the Public Complaints Commission Act of 1975 to promote accountability, fairness, and transparency in public administration.
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The core mandate of the PCC includes investigating complaints of maladministration, abuse of office, unfair treatment, delay in administrative processes, wrongful termination of appointments, non-payment of entitlements, pension disputes, land matters, and other forms of bureaucratic injustice. It also intervenes in disputes between individuals and institutions, offering mediation and reconciliation mechanisms to prevent escalation into litigation or communal crises.
Unlike the courts, the commission provides its services free of charge, making it one of the most accessible avenues for ordinary Nigerians seeking redress. With offices across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, the PCC serves as a grassroots complaint-resolution body, particularly for citizens who may lack the resources to pursue lengthy court processes.
Aside from dispute resolution, the PCC also plays a preventive role by advising public institutions on best administrative practices and recommending reforms where patterns of injustice are identified. Its interventions have led to the payment of withheld salaries and pensions, the reinstatement of wrongfully dismissed workers, the resolution of land disputes, and the settlement of inter-community conflicts.
PCC settled over 600,000 cases of injustice in 2026
Mr Imasuen, who represents Edo South Senatorial District, stated that the commission received over 700,000 complaints from Nigerians last year concerning various cases of injustice perpetrated by government agencies and private entities.
He explained that out of the total complaints received, more than 600,000 cases were resolved and adjudicated, with justice served in many instances.
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The senator said many of the complaints were lodged by ordinary Nigerians, including communal disputes that could have escalated into major crises but were successfully resolved by the commission without attracting public attention.
“Over 700,000 cases came to the agency, PCC, and over 600,000 of those cases were also adjudicated. Communal issues that would have created problems were resolved, but didn’t make the headlines. But PCC is working. They’re cases from ordinary Nigerians, they do it free, they don’t charge them, and the adjudication is also very quick,” he added.
Mr Imasuen further argued that the number of public petitions submitted to his committee by senators from their constituencies was substantial.
He urged his colleagues to compare the volume of petitions referred to his committee with the number of cases handled by the PCC across the 36 states and local government offices nationwide.
“If we can project the number of cases we get from the distinguished senators to my committee, the Committee of Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions, then we can probably imagine how many of those cases go to these offices in all of the 36 states and in our local governments,” he said.
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