Bauchi State

 

The Public Complaints Commission (Nigeria Ombudsman) is an Independent Organisation established by the Federal Government of Nigeria in 1975 through Decree No. 31 of 1975, as amended by Decree No. 21 of 1979. The Decree was entrenched in the 1979 Constitution of Nigeria now CAP. P. 37 Laws of the Federation, 2004.

 

The concept of Ombudsman refers to an official appointed by a government to investigate and report on complaints made by citizens against public authorities. An Ombudsman is someone who advocates for another person, especially the aggrieved. In Nigerian context, it refers to Public Complaints Commission.

 

The aim of the Public Complaints Commission is to promote justice for the individual citizens, the absence of which there can hardly be genuine peace and stability in the country. The Commission was established in the country in order to protect ordinary citizens from undue influence, error, negligence or maladministration, deliberately or otherwise by the government officials, staff of parastatals or corporations. The Commission has the responsibility of helping individuals who for some circumstance cannot help themselves to obtain their rights. It achieves this by conducting impartial investigation on behalf of the citizen(s) who sustained injustice through the actions of governments, private organizations, and their officials. Investigation is therefore, the backbone of the Commission and it is pertinent to say that, the Commission’s services are free of charge to all citizen(s) or any person resident in Nigeria.

 

The Bauchi State Branch Office was established as an Area office of the defunct North Eastern State Office, Maiduguri. However, it became a Branch Office in 1979 following the creation of Bauchi state in 1976. The Branch Office has Nine Area offices namely: Alkaleri Area Office, Azare Area office, Bauchi Area Office, Bogoro Area office, Dass Area Office, Ningi Area Office, Misau Area Office and Tafawa Balewa Area Office, respectively.

 

However, it is only in Alkaleri, Azare and Ningi that we have been given office structures by the respective Local Government Authorities, while in Dass local government our officer shares office accommodation with staff of the local government, despite all efforts to secure office accommodation for other area offices from the respective   Local Government Authorities but in vain.

 

The Bauchi State Office has the following sets of Hon. Commissioners from 1979 to 2024, respectively:

1. Late Dr. Aliyu Abubakar 1979- 1985

2. Late Alhaji Muhammad Mamun Mahe 1986- 1992

3. Late Alhaji Isa Mele, OON 1992- 1997

4. Late Alhaji Adamu Yusuf. 1997- 2000

5. Alhaji Yahaya Aliyu Rumbu. 2012- 2018

6. Late Brig. Gen. Jonathan Komo Kwasba (RTD) 2018 – 2021

7. Alhaji Ahmad Dauda Jika.  2021- 2024