National Industrial Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2017

1. The National Industrial Court Rules, 2007 and Practice Direction, 2012 are hereby revoked.

2. These Rules may be cited as the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2016 and shall come into effect on the 5th day of January, 2017.

3. These Rules shall, save to the extent and as may otherwise be ordered by the President, National Industrial Court of Nigeria, pursuant to Section 254(C) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, (as amended) apply to all civil matters in respect of which jurisdiction has been conferred on the Court by Section 254C of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 or any other enactment in force in Nigeria.

4. The objectives and intent of these Rules are to-

(1) establish an enduring, equitable, just, fair, speedy and efficient fast-track case management system for all civil matters within the jurisdiction of the Court.

(2) promote in the light of-

(i) specialized nature of the Court ;

(ii) the socio-economic importance of the jurisdiction of the Court ;

(iii) diverse composition of parties, easy and speedy resolution of civil matters, as well as, effective and prudent management of the resources of the Court;

(3) enable a Judge sitting as a single Judge or a panel of Judges to fast track the hearing and determination of all processes, motions and or applications in respect of civil cases within the jurisdiction of the Court.

5. These Rules aim at creating a system for speedy dispensation of justice and fast-tracking of proceedings in the Court, and in particular the hearing and determination of interlocutory applications, motions and notices by-

(a) ensuring that in the determination of appeals against the decisions, awards, or recommendations of the Industrial Arbitration Panel, an Arbitral Tribunal, the Registrar of Trade Unions, or any Commission, Authority or Committee vested with power to deal with any matter within the jurisdiction of the Court and such bodies created by any Act or law (hereinafter referred to as Arbitral Body), the Court will only entertain and determine applications which cannot be taken with the appeals or are based on clear issues of fact and not on recondite points of law ;