Small Claims Judicial Committees have been established by the Oyo and Rivers State Government Judiciaries to start the process of establishing Small Claims Courts in their respective States.

This was stated in a statement made available to journalists on Wednesday by Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council’s (PEBEC) Secretary and Special Advisor to the President on Ease of Doing Business.

She claims that the states and PEBEC are collaborating to set up the small claims court.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), PEBEC has collaborated with various State judiciaries over the years to enhance access to justice, in keeping with its mandate to make Nigeria progressively easier to do business.

Through the establishment of Small Claims Courts in various states, it has been able to improve justice for micro, small, and medium-sized businesses (MSMEs).

Dr. Jumoke Oduwole claims that the goal of the court is to enhance the judicial process by streamlining the resolution of straightforward debt recovery disputes involving small claims of N5 million and below.

In her words “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.’’

According to Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, on November 22 the Small Claims Judicial Committee for the establishment of the court in Oyo State was inaugurated by Justice Munta Abimbola, the Chief Judge of Oyo State.

The judge, according to her, emphasized the significance of small claims courts during the committee’s inauguration in order to speed up straightforward financial cases.

“Abimbola later charged the committee, to be chaired by Justice O.S. Adeyemi, to diligently carry out its mandate in accordance with the PEBEC guidelines and submit its report within 14 days.”

Dr. Jumoke Oduwole claims that Justice Simeon Amadi, the chief judge of the Rivers State Judiciary, similarly established a committee on November 4 to direct the establishment of the court in the state.

“During the inauguration, the Chief Judge of Rivers State Judiciary, asserted that even though the state appeared to be starting late in establishing the court, it is spurred to start well and overtake others who started earlier.

“The Committee will be chaired by Justice C. D. Green,’’ she said.

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