The Oyo State Judiciary as well as Rivers State judiciary have inaugurated Small Claims Judicial Committees to kickstart the process of establishing Small Claims Courts in their respective states.
Dr Jumoke Oduwole, Special Adviser to the President on Ease of Doing Business and the Secretary of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), said this in a statement made available to journalists on Wednesday.
According to her, the states are working in collaboration with PEBEC to establish Small Claim Courts.
Reports have it that PEBEC, in line with its mandate to make Nigeria a progressively easier place to do business, had worked with various state judiciaries over the years to improve access to justice.
It has been able to improve justice for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) through the establishment of Small Claims Courts in various states.
Oduwole stated that the goal of the court is to enhance the judicial process by streamlining the resolution of simple debt recovery cases involving minor claims of N5 million and below.
She said: “Judgements are expected to be delivered within 60 days for all claims filed in a Small Claims Court, with an additional 30 days for enforcement.
“The court also strongly encourages self-representation and adheres to strict timelines for important court events.
“So far, Small Claims Courts have been established in Lagos, Kano, Edo, Ogun, Ekiti, Jigawa, and Nasarawa States”, she added.
Oduwole said the Chief Judge of Oyo State, Justice Munta Abimbola, inaugurated the Small Claims Judicial Committee for the establishment of the court in Oyo State on Nov. 22.
She said while inaugurating the committee, the judge emphasised the importance of Small Claims Courts in expediting simple financial cases.
“Abimbola later charged the committee to be chaired by Justice O.S. Adeyemi, to diligently carry out its mandate following the PEBEC guidelines and submit its report within 14 days”, she added.