Determined to boost the course of justice in trade and commerce, the Rivers State Judiciary, in collaboration with the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), has inagurated a Small Claims Court to improve the speed of adjudication for commercial disputes.
Thus, the Rivers State Judiciary becomes the eighth state judiciary to establish specialised Small Claims Court within its magistracy, joining Edo, Ekiti, Jigawa, Kano, Lagos, Nasarawa, and Ogun states judiciaries in this intervention.
The Special Adviser to the President, Ease of Doing Business/PEBEC Secretary, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, had disclosed the new status of Rivers State Judiciary on Saturday in a statement in Abuja, Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Oduwole explained that the Small Claims Court will improve the speed of adjudication for commercial disputes involving financial claims under N5 million.
This, according to her, would be achieved by introducing self-representation and delivery of judgments within 60 days, among other transformative procedural rules.
“I wish to express my appreciation to the Rivers State Judiciary for collaborating efficiently with the PEBEC Secretariat team on the delivery of this reform.
“This will effectively help the delivery of speedy access to justice for Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) operating in Rivers State,” she said.
The Chief Judge of Rivers State Judiciary, Justice Simeon Amadi, affirmed his commitment to implementing more innovative reforms in the state.
Amadi said that the establishment of the Court was the latest in a host of judicial reforms being implemented by the State Judiciary.
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