Interview

 

We want the public to count on us, Eto

HONOURABLE Mathias Eto is the Federal Commissioner, Public Complaints Commission, Delta State.

In an interview with BLESSING OMOEVAH, he revealed the secrets of conflict resolution.

May we meet you?

I am Hon. Mathias Eto, a Federal Commissioner for Public Complaints Commission, Delta State.

What other public positions have you held?

I was chairman in Isoko Local Government Area as a whole. Politically, I was State Deputy Chairman of United Congress Party (UNCP) and also a board member, governing council of Federal College of Education (Technical), Potiskum School, Yobe State.

Could you cast light on the activities of the commission?

The commission receives complaints from members of the public who feel aggrieved by administrative actions which they considered injustice, either by ministries, agencies, public institutions and industrial liability companies. The commission takes complaints, resolve and address the effects.

How many branches does the commission have and where are they located?

Federal Public Commission is in every state capital, each state is supposed to have five zonal offices; and in the case of Delta State, there are four zonal offices located in Warri, Ughelli, Agbor, and Oleh.

All the zonal offices are situated in the various local government council secretariats.

How is the public reacting to the commission?

The reaction of the public is quite impressive because the commission creates awareness through campaign, and enlightenment programmes.

What are the procedures of the commission?

If one feels unhappy in his place of work, such as deliberate denial of promotion or position, he can complain to the commission.  Or, one if is wrongly dismissed from his place of work within or outside the state, such cases should also be reported to the commission and immediately, it will be resolved. Also, in case of pensioners, the inability to get the pension payment either by the company or government, or when pensioners’ names are removed from payroll, the commission can also resolve such cases after following the due process.  Other cases, such as when O’Level results are withheld, can also be resolved by the commission. Any complaint within one year is accepted by the commission but more than a year complaints are not accepted.

Is the public really informed about the activities of the commission? If yes, what success have you made?

As I said, the commission creates awareness through awareness programmes in the Television, radio and newspapers. The state newspaper, “The Pointer” gave the commission column for publication every Friday but the problem of the public is that they don’t read or listen to news. The good news is that the few that read or listen to news are spreading the news.

Considering the numerous challenges facing the state, what is your advice to Deltans?

There are various pension associations that regulate pension schemes. In this case, seven and half per cent of pension payment is remitted to the pension associations. Recently, a lot of problems have been resolved through the Public Complaints Commission.