PIC Caravan Visits Nkwen Baptist Church in Bamenda
The outreach caravan of the Office of the Public Independent Conciliator (PIC) of the North-West Region continued its public sensitization campaign with a visit to the Nkwen Baptist Church on August 20th 2026, in Bamenda.
The objective of the outreach was to educate Christains of the Nkwen Baptist Church on the mandate, mission, and functions of the Public Independent Conciliator, while encouraging greater citizen participation in local governance and decentralized development.
The activity was introduced by Bar. Yang Francis – Research Officer no. 2, representative of the Public Independent Conciliator, who welcomed participants and emphasized on the importance of public awareness campaign in enabling citizens to effectively exercise their rights and responsibilities.
The sensitization featured three presentations:
– Bar. Yang Francis, Research Officer no. 2 presented the creation, organization, and functioning of the Office of the Public Independent Conciliator.
– Mrs. Nina Ambuban, Research Officer No. 3, spoke on the roles and responsibilities of citizens, particularly their participation in and support for council initiatives within their communities.
– Mr. Juli Yauba Bobo, Complaint Management Officer No. 4, explained the Office’s complaint management procedures and guided participants on how to lodge complaints with the institution.
Christains of the Nkwen Baptist Church expressed appreciation for the knowledge shared and actively participated in the interactive session that followed. They encouraged the team for the work they do in checking council functioning and also sought clarification on a number of issues: they asked if the security of whistleblowers is guaranteed by the Office of the PIC, since whistleblowing is another source of information.
Reactions from Christians
The issue of fines levied on families or individuals not present during community development projects, according to them, this posed a threat in the community. They were also curious to know what can be done to mayors who fail to perform their statutory duties, the Public Independent Conciliator’s follow-up mechanisms after receiving complaints, and the extent of community involvement in the planning and implementation of development projects.
Participants acknowledged that councils are making efforts in the domain of sanitation inspection services, to an extent managing the waste on the streets across town. Yet they urged the Public Independent Conciliator to continue advocating for councils to effectively discharge their responsibilities. They further emphasized the importance of involving communities throughout the entire project cycle—from planning to implementation and evaluation.
The PIC experts responded comprehensively to the concerns raised, assuring participants that the Office remains committed to its open-door policy and is readily accessible to receive and handle complaints relating to the functioning of regional and local authorities.