Public Complaints Commission | Definition & Functions

The Public Complaints Commission | Definition, Functions and Limitations

The public complaints commission or the ombudsman is the institution established by the federal government to entertain from citizen, complaints of injustice, corruption, unfair treatment and abuse of office by public officers. The commission is to investigate such cases and to recommend steps towards discipline or correction of the situation.

Functions of the Public Complaints Commission

The commission is empowered to:

• Entertain grievances and complaints of citizens against the public servants.
• Investigate such cases of corruption, bribery and nepotism or favountism against public servants.
• Also investigate cases of incompetence, use of false documents and Inconsistency in the application of civil service rules by civil servants.
• Investigate loss of documents and vital papers in the civil service and government owned corporations.
• See to the arrest and prosecution of public officers who infringe upon the laws of the country.
• Suggest some changes in the laws of the country, so as to improve the efficiency of the public service.
• Help redress the abuses suffered by citizens in the hands of public servants.

Limitations of Public Complaints Commission

The limitations of power of public complaint commission (Ombudsman) are:

• The commission cannot enforce its decisions and recommendations. These are left to the government to decide upon.
• The commission could not reverse or probe the decisions or actions of the courts, the president, governors, ministers, commissioners, judges or such other government officials in top, sensitive political positions.
• The emphasis on state security and national interest limits the access of the ombudsman to vital records, information and documents.
• The commission could not compel people to appear before it and this may limit the extent of its thoroughness in some cases.