Build the Case for a Small Claims Court in Kano State

Kano is one of Nigeria's largest commercial cities, with a dense informal economy built around textile trading, wholesale markets, and manufacturing. Disputes over unpaid invoices, broken contracts, and withheld deposits are a daily reality for traders in Sabon Gari, Kantin Kwari, and Wapa. But the formal court system is slow, expensive, and requires a lawyer most small traders cannot afford. Several Nigerian states, including Lagos and Rivers, have introduced small claims courts that allow individuals to file and argue cases themselves, without legal representation, for disputes below a set threshold. These courts have dramatically shortened resolution times. Kano has no equivalent mechanism, leaving a significant share of the state's commercial disputes either unresolved or settled through informal pressure. Your task is to produce a policy brief, no longer than 2,500 words, addressed to the Kano State Ministry of Justice. It should make the case for establishing a small claims court, propose a workable jurisdiction threshold (with justification), outline a basic procedural model, and identify at least two risks or obstacles with suggested mitigations. Draw on the Lagos or Rivers State model as a reference point. Good work will be grounded in the specific economic and legal context of Kano, not a copy-paste of another state's proposal. It will anticipate objections: cost, capacity, language barriers in proceedings, and it will address them directly. A strong submission will include a simple one-page summary suitable for a non-lawyer official to read and share.