The office of the Public Independent Conciliator, PIC for the North West officially launched its activities on Wednesday January 19, 2022.
Announcing to the public the mission, vision and duties of the PIC, the pioneer Conciliator, Tamfu Simon Fai enjoined stakeholders to collaborate with the PIC “…for it is a learning process”. Among other duties, the principal role of the PIC is to ensure the peaceful and amicable resolution of disputes that arise from the service providers; Regional and Local Councils on one hand and beneficiaries of these services; the population on the other hand, Tamfu disclosed.
He furthered that the office shall not hear private matters such as land disputes, chieftaincy squabbles but can however propose to the concerned institutions and state functionaries peaceful solutions to such disputes which characterize community life on a daily basis.
Instituted by Decree No. 2019/24 of 24th December 2019 to institute the General Code of Local Authorities in fulfilment of one of the decisions arrived at during the Major National Dialogue of October 2019, and the conditions for the discharge of its duties spelt out in Decree No. 2020/773 of 24th December 2020, this institution strengthens the specificity of the North West and South regions as provided for in Article 66 of the 1996 Constitution.
The PIC office in the North West is an independent institution of the state with current staff strength of eight, including six gentlemen and two ladies, representative of all Divisions in the region. The office is thus expected to serve the population of the region with probity, impartiality and independence, doing so loyally and faithfully to beneficiaries of her services as the oath of office prescribes.
Guests to the launch of activities of the office included mayors, civil administrators, civil society organisation representatives. They were all served with information kits explaining the procedures to seek the services of the office and their areas of intervention.
Wifah J. Nde
