PCC Staff Agitates For Increased Salaries

Chile Igbawua, the chief commissioner of the Public Complaints Commission has said that efforts are being made towards increasing the emolument of members of staff of the commission.

Igbawua said this while addressing a press conference at Merit House, Abuja on Wednesday. PCC which is an anti graft commission has received the shorter end of the stick when it came to salaries and compensations of staff when compared to other anti graft agencies and commissions. This situation has been an issue of grief for PCC staff.

Igbawua said, “It is also an issue we picked up from the ground when we came in and we are working on it but I will like to inform you that we have also affected some improvement even in that area. But ultimately we are doing a scientific study to try to align our staff emolument with other similar agencies.”

Average salaries of staff of the anti graft agencies such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is N200,000 and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) is N106,000, the salary description of staff of the PCC is lower.

The chief ombudsperson who resumed office in 2018 gave a brief of the achievements of his administration so far. Some included the increased public appearance of the commission after collaborations with media houses, the improvement in response from Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA) for complaints of citizens where it was formerly next to none which included issuing stiff penalties for defaulting MDAs, the agency’s increased use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) to address citizens and the reintroduction of the Nigerian ombudsman into the African and global ombudsman’s communities including the International Ombudsman Institute and the Coordinator for West Africa, African Ombudsman and Mediators Association (AOMA).

Igbawua also assured that the agency was doing all it could to serve Nigerians better.