The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, Senator Neda Imasuen, has thrown his weight behind the Public Complaints Commission’s (PCC) proposed ₦109 billion 2026 budget, urging lawmakers to focus on strengthening the agency rather than subjecting it to excessive interrogation.
The appeal came on Tuesday during a joint session of the National Assembly committees on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, where the PCC Chairman, Bashir Abubakar, defended the commission’s spending plan amid mounting concerns over capacity, welfare and operational efficiency.
Presenting the estimate, Abubakar disclosed that the commission had handled more than 600,000 complaints since he assumed office about 14 months ago, explaining that the 2026 proposal was grounded in operational data from 2025. He painted a grim picture of the commission’s human resource challenges, revealing that its 2,200 staff earn below the national minimum wage, a situation he described as deeply ironic for an institution established to redress public grievances.
According to him, the budget is designed to revitalise the PCC and enable it to fulfil its constitutional mandate, ensuring that complaints are pursued diligently and resolved to their logical conclusion.
On the commission’s push for modernisation, the Director of Procurement, Hon. Mukhtar Shagaya, told lawmakers that allocations for new software and antivirus systems were unavoidable, as the PCC still operates largely on manual processes. He explained that the commission intends to migrate to digital platforms to improve efficiency, adding that antivirus licences require periodic renewal, hence the recurring expenditure.
However, it was Senator Imasuen’s intervention that set the tone of the session.
In his remarks, the Edo South lawmaker cautioned colleagues against over-scrutinising the proposal, stressing that the PCC performs a role comparable to that of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) and the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB).
“The commission needs support to function effectively,” Imasuen said, arguing that a weak PCC ultimately undermines citizens’ access to justice and accountability in public administration.
He further revealed that the National Assembly is already working on amendments to the PCC Act, a legislative move aimed at reinforcing the commission’s legal framework and enhancing its operational independence and effectiveness.
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