Mme Telelen Dorothy Motaze, the Public Independent Conciliator speaking during the Seminar

The Public Independent Conciliator (PIC) for the South-West Region, Mme Telelen Dorothy Motaze has called on Local Authorities of the Region to establish civil status Documents free of charge.  The call was made during a one-day sensitization seminar organized by the Office of the Public Independent Conciliator (OPIC) on Wednesday 28 February at the Limbe I Council Hall. Organized on the theme: Office of the Public Independent Conciliator: “Concerting with Frontline Actors of City and Local Councils to Ameliorate the Quality of Services Delivery to Users” the purpose of the seminar held in the presence of the Senior Divisional Officer for Fako, Viang Mekala, was to remind council administrations on their roles and responsibilities to ensure quality service delivery for the benefit of the population. It is for this reason that the seminar brought together Lord Mayors, Service and Bureau Heads of Civil Status, Town Planning, Hygiene and Sanitation and the Municipal Police of the two City and 31 local councils respectively.

       Family Picture of Mme the Public Independent Conciliator, the Senior Divisional Officer for Fako Division with participants

 Held as a follow up of complaints received from users concerning charges levied by councils on the establishment of Civil Status Documents (Birth, Marriage and Death certificates) the meeting was an opportunity for the Lord Mayors and their collaborators to be schooled on the process and requirements to establish Civil Status Documents.

The role of OPIC is to protect the rights and freedoms of citizens and  ensure that councils respect their ethical obligations “Aware of the great responsibility entrusted to Local Collectivities for the purpose of providing quality and satisfactory services to users, the Office of the Public Independent Conciliator has as duty to continuously  accompany and remind the City and Local Councils to be  conscious at all time in  ensuring  the optimal compliance with their duties and ethical obligations in ways that guarantee social justice and protect users from any form of discrimination”, the PIC said. It is in this regard that she called on the Civil Status Registrars and Clerks to “stop collecting excess money from users” for the production of these documents. She also urged them to be polite and welcoming towards users.

       The Resource  person Fonju Bernard speaking to participants during the seminar

South-West BUNEC Regional Chief Ndzerem Walters Yuyum explained to the civil status clerks how the various civil status documents are filled. They were also hinted on what to be done in an event of error. Parents were also called upon to declare their children’s births within 90 days for a birth certificate to be established cost free by the Council. Failure to do within this time-frame means they will need a court judgement before the establishment of birth certificates which will cost some money.

     Participants taking down notes during deliberations

Delivering a statement on the Administrative Relevance of Civil Status Documents, Muaman Ade Junior, Chief of Cabinet South West Governor’s Office reminded the mayors and their collaborators on the importance of civil status documents in planning and achieving development goals. He said the information derived from civil status registration is a cornerstone to plan for education and health development by the government. “Birth and marriage certificates help to prove civil status in a given situation. It could be employment. It helps the government to plan efficiently. Without these documents, the administration will not properly plan development. It also goes a long way to plan for the effective use of resources and distribution of aid” he said.

It is important to mention that the participants were also reminded of the missions of OPIC, its complaints procedure and competences.