Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, and former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, have called for stronger accountability and more effective justice delivery, warning that failures by public institutions to comply with established rules and court judgments undermine citizens’ rights.

The trio spoke at the inaugural Nigerian Ombudsman Annual Conference, organised by the Public Complaints Commission (PCC) in Abuja on Thursday, where participants called for stronger institutions, improved complaint resolution and strict adherence to administrative procedures.

While Soyinka criticised the failure to implement court judgments, Akume called for stronger institutional compliance and accountability, while Anyaoku urged wider public awareness of the Ombudsman as an affordable avenue for seeking redress.

The conference, themed, “System Building and Compliance: A Key Factor to Good Governance,” also featured a call by the Chief Commissioner of the PCC, Bashir Abubakar, for an end to the disregard for administrative rules and procedures by public institutions.

Abubakar disclosed that the commission received 1,281,984 complaints and resolved 716,688 within two years, figures he said reflected growing public awareness of its mandate but also underscored the scale of outstanding cases requiring attention.

He said Nigeria’s governance challenge was not necessarily a shortage of laws and policies, but the failure to establish enduring systems that ensured their consistent implementation, irrespective of the individuals occupying public offices.

“Over-reliance on the goodwill or authority of individuals, however noble, creates fragility. Institutions that depend on personalities rather than processes do not outlast generations,” he said.

The chief commissioner said the commission was working to clear its backlog through improved institutional capacity, technology and collaboration with other government agencies.

He listed reforms undertaken since he assumed office on September 24, 2024, to include improved budgetary allocations, increased monthly funding for state offices, biometric staff verification, the creation of additional directorates and capacity-building initiatives.

Abubakar, however, warned that the reforms would yield limited results if government agencies continued to disregard the commission’s recommendations.

Established in 1975, the PCC provides citizens with a cost-free avenue to seek redress over maladministration, abuse of office, unfair treatment and other grievances involving public institutions and relevant private organisations.

Abubakar said the commission was determined to move beyond resolving individual complaints to identifying systemic weaknesses and recommending reforms capable of preventing recurring administrative failures.

Soyinka raised concerns over the gap between judicial pronouncements and their implementation, questioning why citizens who secured favourable court judgments could still be denied the benefits of justice.

He lamented that some litigants died without enjoying the fruits of judgments delivered in their favour, describing the situation as a troubling failure of the justice system.

“Why is it, for instance, that we cannot guarantee the implementation of a court judgment? Why is there such a disconnect between the plaintiff, the judgment itself, the judges, the entire structure of justice, and the victim who has sought justice?” he asked.

He cited cases in which court orders directing the restoration of passports had allegedly remained unimplemented for years, arguing that such delays defeated the purpose of seeking judicial redress.

Describing the situation as “medicine after death,” Soyinka urged the PCC to prioritise the gap between judgments and their enforcement.