The Lagos State Government has vowed to fight any form of injustice in the state.
The government added that it was partnering the Public Complaint Commission to ensure that Lagosians got fair treatment at all times, even at the grass roots level.
The Commissioner for Local Government and Community Affairs, Muslim Folami, stated this during the visit of the Federal Commissioner of the PCC, Mr. Funsho Olukoga, to his office in Alausa, Ikeja on Friday.
Folami said the government would ensure that all the executive secretaries in the local government areas and the local council development areas were sensitised to the need to collaborate with the commission so that residents’ needs for justice could be adequately addressed.
He said, “We will also use the councils to reach out to all the communities so that they will have an easy access to the PCC in tackling injustice.
“But I must implore the PCC to ensure that it improves on its service delivery so that everybody will know more about the services it renders to the public. The PCC needs to have offices in all the LGAs and LCDAs. The Lagos State Government will assist in getting the needed offices.”
The PCC federal commissioner said the commission was established in 1975 to investigate any injustice citizens experienced in dealing with government at all levels and its agencies, as well as corporate organisations.
He said, “It is on record that the PCC is swift to action whenever any act that may lead to injustice is reported.
“We have had cause to carry out operations in the transportation and justice ministries, as well as the Office of the Public Defender, among others, to feel the pulse of the public.
“By partnering the LGAs, we hope to establish a cordial relationship with the leadership of councils and to resolve issues of injustice amicably and speedily to help the present administration achieve its set goals.”
Meanwhile, the state government has restated its commitment to achieve excellent service delivery in the councils through re-orientation, training and re-training.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs, Mr. Jafar Sanuth, at a training by Ford Foundation, said there was need to improve on all the set agenda of the present administration, adding that the training would act as backup to participants.
Chairman, Local Government Service Commission, Mr. Babatunde Rotinwa, said collaborating with the Ford Foundation would help improve on the set goals of the administration.
The representative of the Ford Foundation, Mrs. Eva Kouka, reiterated her organisation’s readiness to assist the state government to move closer to the communities.
Another recent visit to one of our local government in Alimosho leaves a lot to be desired and because an ES is appointed does not mean he/she and their staff should treat visitors with levity and contempt for lodging a complaint about their staff.
ReplyDeleteMy vehicle was impounded and tyre deflated for allegedly not having an unheard of "interstate local government permit" on my already fully licensed van with a commercial plate number. My van is not with inscription or logos written on it, hence my amazement as to why I was waylaid like a common criminal by non uniformed staff of the local government and told to pay N30,000.
The ES was magnanimous to reduce the fee to N12, 000 which i had to pay including getting the tyre inflated for another exorbitant cost. So what do you get for N30K or even N12k; some cheaply printed fake looking permits and a dust bin (yes!!!! dust bin) with inscription from Ogun state haba! (I thought it was to cover all the states as they said). This is definitely day light robbery! ! and Mr Babatunde Rotinwa chairman local government service commission should as a matter of urgency look into this corrupt practice with a view to informing the general public and apprehending the culprits.