The law establishing the Public Complaints Commission is now being reviewed to give it powers to commence prosecution of cases in the courts.
The Federal Commissioner in Lagos, Mr. Funsho Olukoga, made this known during the annual press conference of the commission held Tuesday at the former National Assembly Complex, Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS), Lagos.
Olukoga disclosed that a proposal for the review of the act is presently going through different stages, including inputs from the different states of the federation so that the commission “would not just bark but also be able to bite”.
He explained that the review which would entail constitutional amendment would empower the commission to sanction recalcitrant respondents and prosecutes certain offences in the courts.
He said the issue of recalcitrant respondents has been a challenge to the activities of the commission.
The commissioner disclosed that the number of complaints received this year rose to 754 from 338 last year.
He said the achievement was made possible with the adoption of new methods introduced into its investigation strategies and the application of modern information technology.
“The rise in the number of complaints is clear evidence that the commission is becoming known better in Lagos and the residents are becoming aware of their rights to challenge what they considered as administrative injustice on the part of the public and private institutions,” he said.
Olukoga also gave a sectoral account of the activities of the commission and called on the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) to rescue mobile phone users from undue advertisement drive.
He said his commission received several complaints about unsolicited calls from network service providers advertising their products.
He said “some question the propriety of preceding a caller tune with an advertisement when calling a number; others find the frequency of unsolicited calls distractive and oppressive”.
He urged the NCC to intervene by investigating and sanctioning erring network service providers to reduce unacceptable and unfair trade practices.
He reported that bank customers are still subjected to poor services in spite of new charges imposed on them while cases of malfunctioning ATM were very common.
Despite that customers are now charged for using ATMs other than those where their accounts are domiciled, the situation has not improved over what it was last year adding “one would have expected a higher quality of service commensurate with the new charges”.
Olukoga also urged the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to beam its searchlight on the quality of services rendered by airline operators especially for domestic flights.
“We are concerned with how the airline handles their operation from purchase of air tickets to cabin services. Flight delays and cancellations appear to be the rule rather than exceptions,” he lamented.
