No. You cannot simply tell the court that you want to pay ₦2,000 per week and expect the court to automatically accept it.
If you owe ₦300,000, paying ₦2,000 every week would take about 150 weeks to clear the debt, which is almost three years. Whether such an arrangement will be accepted depends on the circumstances of the case and whether the court considers the proposed payment period reasonable.
If you are asking the court to allow you to pay the debt by instalments, you may need to make a formal application and provide evidence showing your financial situation.
This can include information about your income, living expenses, bank accounts, existing liabilities and other financial obligations. The purpose is to help the court determine whether you genuinely cannot afford to pay more.
The person you owe also has the right to oppose your application. For example, if they can provide evidence that you have other sources of income, operate a business, own valuable property or have sufficient funds to pay the debt more quickly, the court may reject your proposed ₦2,000 weekly payment or require you to pay a higher amount.
Depending on the circumstances and the applicable enforcement procedure, the court may also allow steps to be taken to recover the judgment debt from money in your account or through the sale of property that can lawfully be used to satisfy the debt.
The important point is that you cannot just tell the court any amount you want to pay and assume that the court will accept it. If you claim that you can only afford ₦2,000 per week, you should be prepared to prove your financial position.
The court will consider the evidence before it and determine what payment arrangement, if any, is appropriate.
