Public Independent Conciliator debriefs Mayors, REC on 2023 Perception Survey on Council Functioning
The Office of the Public Independent Conciliator North-West Region had an in-camera session with Members of the Regional Executive Council and Mayors of the North-West Region to debrief them on the 2023 Annual Report and the findings of the 2023 Survey.
This session with the Public Independent Conciliator allowed regional and local authorities to air their views on the 2023 Annual Activity report, comment on their 2023 performances, and be encouraged to perform better in the future.
Experts of the Office of the Public Independent Conciliator of the North-West Region presented on different topics, giving insights on the 2023 Annual Activity Report. They were: Dr. Alfred Wuku Kudi, Research Officer No. 4, who presented on the Reporting Mandate of the Public Independent Conciliator: The Conception and Organization of the Perception Survey.
Nina Ambuban, Research Officer No. 5 Presented the Difficulties and Challenges faced in the conduct of the 2023 Survey on Council Functioning.
Dr. Tilarious ATIA, Research Officer No. 3 presented the Public Independent Conciliator’s 2023 Perception Survey Findings.
After the presentations by the experts, general discussions between the participants, the Public Independent Conciliator, and the experts ensued.
The President of the North-West Regional Assembly appreciated the Public Independent Conciliator for the 2023 perception survey but wished that the same variables be used on the institution he is leading to ascertain how much work is being done at his level and how the masses perceive the work or function of the North-West Regional Assembly.
4 categories of questionnaires went out; some council authorities boycotted filling out the questionnaires and according to the experts, the result dwelled on data which came in. The Mayors also complained that the people’s perception could be based on political interest, likes, or other interests. Some mayors claimed that they spent most of their time in their municipalities.
Positive remarks came from Mayors who believed that the Public Independent Conciliator did a good job in the 2023 Annual Activity Report. Others felt that they should have been consulted before publication. A majority of Mayors had lamented after the publication of the 2023 Survey, which they said was affecting their political business.
Some Mayors also made a fervent plea for the Public Independent Conciliator North-West Region to incorporate local realities into the law. They also pleaded that the Public Independent Conciliator should help propose solutions that will help them shape their work and ensure the proper functioning of councils.
The aspect of checking the authenticity of the kind of information submitted by Community-Based Assistants was another call for concern by the Mayors. The idea of the free establishment of Civil Status Documents and the intricacies of establishing court judgments at the divisional level was another worry raised during the debriefing with Mayors.
Though many mayors are signing communique indicating that they issue civil status documents for free, most of them have claimed that the hindrance is at the level of the courts where declaratory judgments are done.
The Public Independent Conciliator for the North-West, Mr. TAMFU Simon FAI told mayors that service-users’ response gives a balance sheet on council functioning and that Mayors are allowed to come and consult their reports from time to time, to know how work is going at their different levels.
The Public Independent Conciliator said there will be a mid-year evaluation of the performance of mayors before the publication of the year’s report.
