The House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions commenced a two-day strategic retreat aimed at reviewing its performance, strengthening its operations, and consolidating its achievements as the 10th National Assembly enters its final year.
The retreat, organized by the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) with the support of the European Union (EU), brought together Members of the Committee and Secretariat staff to deliberate on practical strategies for enhancing the Committee's effectiveness in delivering legislative redress to Nigerians.
In his opening address, the Chairman of the Committee, Rt Hon. Kwamoti Bitrus Laori, member representing Demsa/ Numan/ Lamurde Federal Constituency of Adamawa State expressed appreciation to the Rt. Hon. Speaker, the Leadership of the House of Representatives, Committee Members, the Secretariat, PLAC, the European Union, and other development partners for their continued support in advancing the Committee's constitutional mandate.
Reaffirming the Committee's mandate under Sections 62, 88 and 89 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), the Chairman emphasized that the Committee remains the foremost legislative platform for addressing citizens' grievances, promoting accountability, and strengthening public confidence in democratic governance.
Highlighting the Committee's performance, the Chairman disclosed that as of July 2026, the Committee had received 879 public petitions, concluded investigations on over 180 petitions, and presented more than 60 Committee Reports, with 55 reports adopted by the House of Representatives. He noted that these achievements reflect the growing confidence of Nigerians in the Committee's work.
The Chairman also identified key operational challenges, including the increasing volume of petitions, delays in report consideration, non-compliance by some Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), and the need to strengthen documentation, institutional memory, and digital records management.
He stated that the retreat would focus on identifying priority actions to improve petition handling, enhance the preparation and adoption of Committee Reports, strengthen institutional memory, and deploy appropriate digital tools to improve operational efficiency and citizen redress.
Delivering goodwill messages, the Chief Commissioner of the Public Complaints Commission, Hon. Bashir Abubakar MFR and the Chief Executive of PLAC, Mr. Clement Nwankwo, commended the Committee for its commitment to accountability and responsive governance. They encouraged participants to take advantage of the retreat to develop practical solutions that would further strengthen the Committee's oversight responsibilities and improve access to justice for citizens.
The retreat is expected to produce a strategic roadmap and communiqué outlining key resolutions to improve the Committee's performance, strengthen public confidence, and leave a lasting institutional legacy for future Assemblies.
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