The Oyo State Judiciary on Thursday commissioned the reconstructed Chief Magistrates’ Court, Mapo and the newly reconstructed Small Claims Court as part of efforts to make justice delivery quick and accessible, especially at the grassroots level.
Before now, the Chief Magistrates’ Court, Mapo had been sitting at Iyaganku which is a distance from the Mapo Police Station which makes direct use of the court due to its state of disrepair.
Reconstruction work commenced on Friday, January 19 following the inspection carried out by the Chief Judge of Oyo State, Justice Iyabode Yerima on Wednesday, January 17, going on through the weekend till completion earlier this week, spanning just six days.
The commissioning of the Small Claims Court is part of efforts to improve access to justice and make small businesses thrive within the state in line with the Oyo State Judiciary’s commitment to quick justice delivery under the initiative of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Committee (PEBEC) to hear cases of liquidated debts not exceeding N5,000,000.00 (Five million Naira).
The Small Claims Court focuses on ensuring that liquidated debts not exceeding five million naira brought before the court are dispensed within 60 days, from filing to delivery of judgment via designated Magistrates’ Courts.
In her welcome address at the inauguration of the Small Claims Court on the premises of the Mapo Magistrate Court, Justice Yerima, stated that there are three Small Claims Courts; two in Iyaganku and the other in the premises of the High Court Complex at Ring Road, adding that one is currently under construction within the premises of Ibadan North East Local Government in Iwo Road in addition to the commissioned court at Mapo.
She added that the “Oyo State Judiciary website has a Small Claims Court webpage where the Practice Directions and Handbook of the court can be downloaded while the hard copies are also available.
“The Judicial Committee on the Small Claims Court ably chaired by Hon. Justice O. S. Adeyemi is on hand to oversee the effective running and activities of the court to ensure that the court operates in line with the PEBEC regulations and guidelines,” she said.
According to the Chief Judge, “there are quite a number of ongoing and proposed projects all aimed at making the Oyo State Judiciary the premier destination for access to justice delivery in an equally comfortable, enabling and befitting setting. It is my sincere hope that the location of the court will ease the burden on litigants and lawyers, who before now had to go to Iyaganku for their cases. I pray that the Oyo State Judiciary becomes the esteemed and enviable institution we desire,” she added.
In her goodwill message, the chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Ibadan branch, Mrs Folasade Aladeniyi, commended the judiciary for the establishment of the Small Claims Court which she said will allow for fast dispensation of cases relating to liquidated money.