Gombe State is to establish Small Claims Courts (SCCs) in a bid to enhance the Ease of Doing Business in the state due to the evolving of Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs).
To this end, the Chief Judge of Gombe State, Hon. Justice Halima S. Mohammed inaugurated the Steering Committee for the establishment of the SCCs.
The CJ, while inaugurating the Steering Committee, explained that the SCCs will enhance access to justice and promote legal inclusiveness.
“The Small Claims Court will enhance access to justice and accord legal inclusiveness to aggrieved persons/small business owners whose small claims could not get the desired space in the congested dispute resolution platforms. We have collaborated with the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) to see that the Small Claims Court is a reality in Gombe state”, the Chief Judge said.
She added that, “the objective of the Small Claim procedure is to provide easy access to an informal, inexpensive and prompt resolution of simple debt and liquidated money demands not exceeding Three Million Naira (N3,000,000) excluding interest and costs”.
She however maintained that the cause of action for the claims procedure must arise wholly or in part in Gombe state.
Recall that Gombe has been ranked twice as the No. 1 State in the Ease of Doing Business in Nigeria, a development that reflects the desire and commitment of the Inuwa Yahaya led-administration to making Gombe an investment environment of choice to potential investors through implementation of friendly policies and programmes, provision of infrastructure and enhancing security to enable businesses of all forms to thrive.
The Committee which comprises personalities with knowledge and experience in adjudication and conflict management, will be led by the Chief Judge, Gombe State High Court of justice, Justice Halima Sadiya Mohammed.
The members of the Steering Committee include; Hon. Justice Fatima Musa, Babayo Usamatu Abba, Japhet L. Maida, and Haruna Bello Gelengu, while
Alhussaini Ibrahim will serve Secretary.
The inaugural ceremony of the Steering Committee was observed by the Honorable Commissioner of Finance and Economic Development, Muhammad Gambo Magaji, his counterpart in the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism, Alh. Nasiru Mohammed Aliyu mni, the Accountant General of Gombe state, Alh. Aminu Yuguda, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Finance, Abubakar Dauda Gadam, Musa Muhammad Babaji, Director, Administration and Finance in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development among others.
