Public Complaints Commission says it received 1.2m cases in one year

The Public Complaints Commission says it received 1,281,984 cases over the past year and resolved 716,688, while reporting 562,296 cases as pending. 

Chief Commissioner Bashir Abubakar disclosed the figures in Abuja on Tuesday while reviewing the agency’s activities since he assumed office on September 24, 2024.

Abubakar said the commission had received 1.8 million cases and resolved 1.4 million since its establishment in 1975, leaving about 400,000 cases inherited by his administration. He attributed the recent increase in complaints to greater public awareness of the commission’s work following outreach efforts over the past two years.

Reviewing internal reforms, Abubakar said relations between management and staff unions had improved. He credited an open-door policy with strengthening communication and creating a better working environment. He added that staff had been equipped with modern technology to support their duties. According to Abubakar, 1,070 employees were promoted last year, while 1,270 have received promotions so far this year.

He said the commission implemented the full Consolidated Legislative Salary Structure, enabling it to pay employees their full salaries from July 2026. Management had also settled outstanding wage awards and promotion arrears for 2024 and 2025, while increasing monthly allocations to state offices and the Federal Capital Territory office, he said.

Abubakar added that a nationwide biometric verification exercise had been conducted to establish an accurate staff nominal roll and improve operational planning. He acknowledged support from President Bola Tinubu, the National Assembly, the Budget Office, the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and other stakeholders.

They “all gave us tremendous support collectively in assisting us to achieve all these feats practically,” he said. The commissioner also announced plans for the first Nigerian Ombudsman Conference, scheduled for October 15 in Abuja. The conference, themed “System building and compliance: Key factors to good governance”, will examine the importance of strong systems and institutions in public administration.

Abubakar said former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Nobel laureate Professor Wole Soyinka and former Commonwealth Secretary-General Chief Emeka Anyaoku had confirmed their willingness to attend. The event is also expected to bring together the commission’s founders and policymakers from across Nigeria.