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NBASBL 2023 Conference

Keynote Speaker

PLENARY Speakers

Kosi Antwiwaa Yankey – Ayeh
Chief Executive Officer, The Ghana Enterprises Agency (TGEA)

Mrs. Kosi Antwiwaa Yankey – Ayeh is the first person and woman to lead the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA) an agency under the Ministry of Trade and Industry. Her mandate is to strengthen and grow entrepreneurs and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in Ghana.

Kosi graduated from the Harvard Kennedy School, USA with a Master’s in Public Administration and Certificate in Public Policy. She received the 2016 excellence award for academic distinction and distinguished contribution to the Edward S Mason Programme and a grant under the “Harvard Square to Oval Office” Women in Public Policy programme to support Ghanaian women in politics.

In 2004, she received her BA in Government and a certificate in International Relations from Wesleyan University, Connecticut, USA. She holds a certificate in Market Access for Sustainable Development from Wageningen University, Netherlands and a certificate from a two-year Regional Entrepreneurship and Acceleration Program (REAP) from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is a fellow at the IE University, Spain, inaugural Gurus and Griots programme and lecture’s part time in their Madrid Campus.

Kosi Yankey has had over 18 years’ experience in the USA, Europe and West Africa. She started her career as an Investment Banker at Deutsche Bank on Wall Street, New York. At Deutsche she worked on establishing the first multi-million-dollar microfinance fund set up by an investment bank. Kosi also worked and interned at numerous institutions, notable amongst them are UBS Warburg, Africa Desk, London, Merrill Lynch, Citigroup, Solidaridad and Engineers without borders, Canada. Over the years, Kosi has founded and led the strategic development and growth of various ventures and projects for both international and local partners in finance and agriculture. Through her experience, she has developed a deep understanding and knowledge of Finance, Entrepreneurship, MSME Development, Policy Development, Project Design, Implementation and Fund raising..

Abiola Sanni
Professor of Commercial Law in the University of Lagos (UNILAG)

Abiola Sanni is a Professor of Commercial Law in the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) with specialization in Arbitration, Taxation and Commercial Law and Practice. He started his teaching career in Obafemi Awolowo University in 1991 and transferred his service to UNILAG in 1999. In 2003, he won the prestigious Fulbright Fellowship and completed a 10-month Fellowship in the International Tax Programme of the Temple University, USA. In 2016, he had the singular honour of being simultaneously appointed as a Professor of Commercial Law and Occupier of a Professorial Chair endowed by Lagos State in the University of Lagos for the advancement of Taxation and Fiscal Matters which earned him the sobriquet of “a Double Professor”, perhaps, the first in UNILAG especially in recent times

He is the Editor of Introduction to Nigerian Legal Methods popularly known as “The Blue Bible” in Nigerian universities, the author of Introduction to Nigerian Business Law, the founder and Editor-in-Chief of the Nigerian Revenue Law Reports (NRLR) and African Tax Law Reports (ATLR); the first law reports devoted to tax cases in Nigeria and Africa respectively.

Sanni is a thought leader with a multidisciplinary background. He is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), International Bar Association (IBA), a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Chartered Arbitrators (NICARB) and a life member of the Nigerian Society of International Law (NSIL).

He has served the Federal Government of Nigeria in different capacities. He is a member of the Tax Advisory Committee (TAC), Chairman of the National Tax Policy Review Committee (NTPRC) 2016, Chairman of National Tax Policy Implementation Committee (NTPIC) (2017-2019) and member of the Federal Government Fiscal Reform Committee and Tax Advisory Committee since 2019.

He is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Tax Technologies Limited, TaxAide Limited and the Budding Mothers Club (BMC), a Director and Alternate Chairman of the UNILAG Micro Finance Bank, among others.

He maintains a work life balance through social and sporting activities as a member of the FS Club, Octagon 90, Ikoyi Club 1938 and Ife Recreation Club. He is a child of God in a blessed union with Princess Olusola Amoke Sanni.

 

Adebisi Adeyemi
Managing Director/CEO of DCSL Corporate Services Ltd

Bisi Adeyemi is the Managing Director/CEO of DCSL Corporate Services Ltd. She is a 1986 Law graduate of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1987. Bisi holds an MBA from the Lagos Business School, Pan Atlantic University.

Bisi joined DCSL with a charge to turn-around the fortunes of the Company and create a distinct brand identity from its then parent Firm – Deloitte. DCSL under her leadership has recorded significant success in this regard, with an impressive client portfolio and emergence as a market leader in the corporate services and governance space.

Prior to joining DCSL, Bisi was the Chief Legal Officer and Company Secretary with a downstream oil and gas company. Before then, she was the General Counsel with a multinational dredging company. Bisi is a member of the International Bar Association and the Institute of Directors. Bisi has attended Leadership Training at the Harvard Business School, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University Illinois.

Bisi is President and Chairman of Council, Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce. She is an Expert-In-Residence at the Enterprise Development Centre of the Pan Atlantic University and served on the Executive Council of Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ). She is currently the Chair of the Governance Committee of WIMBIZ and serves on the Executive Council of the Lagos Business School Alumni Association (LBSAA). She is an Independent Non-Executive Director on the Boards of Center for Women’s Health and Information and Eventful Limited.

Bisi is passionate about Corporate Governance and facilitates Board level training on the subject. She is a resource person at the DCSL Academy and the Institute of Directors. Bisi anchors a weekly column on Corporate Governance in BusinessDay.

Adeolu Idowu
Head, Governance, Risk and Compliance Practice (“GRC”) at Aluko & Oyebode

Adeolu Idowu is the partner who heads the Governance, Risk and Compliance Practice (“GRC”) at Aluko & Oyebode.

Adeolu and her team at Aluko & Oyebode provide services in often niche and emerging areas in the practice of law including Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG’) Advisory, AML/CFT Compliance, Compliance Programmes and Frameworks, Business Ethics Codes & Policies, Business Assurance Reviews, Policy Violations and Business Crimes Investigations and other GRC services to domestic and multinational clients.

She is a seasoned expert with outstanding experience leading legal and compliance teams in domestic and multinational companies. She has experience across several sectors including Oil & Gas and Telecommunications. At different times, she was the Company Secretary at MTN Nigeria and Director of Legal Services at Etisalat Nigeria, as well as Senior Counsel for Compliance covering Europe, Africa and the Caspian for Schlumberger’s Regional Headquarters. In these roles, Adeolu managed and coordinated the mapping of legal and operational risks affecting the businesses of these large corporates and helped them achieve significant corporate governance improvements and compliance.

Her experiences as In-house Counsel for many years and now Partner heading the GRC Practice, back at Aluko and Oyebode where she started her career many years ago, give her a first-hand understanding of evolving areas of law, trends, innovations and standards in the Nigerian and global business environment.

She obtained her LL. B from the University of Ibadan and LL. M from the London School of Economics.

Adeoye Adefulu
Adesua Dozie
Executive Director and the General Counsel of Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited (MPN)

Adesua Dozie is an Executive Director and the General Counsel of Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited (MPN). Prior to Joining MPN,  Adesua  was  General Counsel of GE Africa where she was  Co-Chair of the GE Women’s Network in Africa.  Prior to joining GE in 2013, Adesua worked in senior legal roles for the Coca-Cola Company, where she also supported the growth of the Coca-Cola Africa Foundation as Legal Adviser and Secretary to the Board. She previously served as Legal Counsel to Elf Petroleum Nigeria, and Associate Counsel for the Nigerian law firm Ajumogobia & Okeke. She is a holds an  LL.B From the University of Buckingham; an LL.M from Cornell Law School;  and is admitted to the bar in New York and Nigeria.

Adesua has advised on over $10 billion of transactions across Africa, in turn facilitating regional growth, strengthening corporate governance and compliance cultures across diverse business communities, and serving as a guardian of the complex dynamics between purpose, profit and risk.

 

Adesua is married to Uzoma Dozie and has 3 children – Chidi (19), Adaeze (17) and Chizara ( 10).

Adetola Onayemi
CEO/Co-Founder of Norebase

Tola is the CEO/Co-Founder of Norebase. Norebase is a single digital platform that enables any individual or businesses to start, scale and operate their businesses in any African country, right from their digital devices. As Nigeria’s Assistant Chief Negotiator, he helped design and negotiate the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), which created a single market for Africa’s 1.2 billion people.

He also designed Nigeria’s first-ever trade remedies mechanism, which creates a tool for protecting the Nigerian economy against unfair international trading practices. Prior to this, he helped set up Nigeria’s Ease of Doing Business Secretariat (EBES) delivering reforms like visa on arrival, government process automation, and land title e-registration, which moved Nigeria 24 ranks up the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business ranking in a single year. Previously, he co-founded and served as General Counsel at Future Africa, one of Africa’s most prolific early-stage venture funds. 

Tola has law degrees from the University of Lagos and the University of Cambridge.

Adetola Taiwo

Adetola Taiwo is a Senior Legal Counsel with The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited. She has over 20 years of experience in the Oil and Gas industry which cuts across negotiating multi-million dollar commercial transactions, managing complex litigation, Mergers and Acquisition, legislative, regulatory, compliance, project finance/alternative funding, gas value chain issues, gas sales and purchase agreements, gas transportation and transmission agreements, Production Sharing Contracts operations and governance, Joint Venture Operations and governance and key stakeholder management.

Resilient, analytical and a thought leader; Tola is a consummate oil and gas professional with an in-depth understanding of diverse legal and commercial issues affecting the industry, strategic business value drivers, risk management and developing pragmatic options to deliver business solutions in the upstream Oil and Gas industry.

In the last decade, she has been actively involved in the development of the Petroleum Industry Act from the Industry perspective through the Oil Producers Trade Section of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce (OPTS). Tola is a graduate of the University of Lagos and holds a masters degree from the University of Warwick, United Kingdom. Tola is a movie enthusiast with an extensive almost encyclopedic recall of movies, old, new and avant-garde. Music, reading and travelling the globe are her passions.

 

Afolabi Elebiju
Founding Principal of LeLaw Barristers & Solicitors

Afolabi Elebiju is the Founding Principal of LeLaw Barristers & Solicitors, a niche commercial law firm in Lagos, Nigeria: (www.lelawlegal.com). A versatile commercial lawyer and multidisciplinary business consultant with cutting edge transaction structuring expertise, he graduated from Harvard Law School’s International Finance LLM programme in 2007, after his Corporate & Commercial LLM from the University of Lagos in 1997. He obtained his two Second Class Upper Honours BA (Ed.) and LLB degrees from Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile Ife, in 1987 and 1993 respectively. He has been a Fellow (FCTI), of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria  (CITN) since 2008, and was one-time Vice Dean of its Indirect Tax Faculty.

Called to the Nigerian Bar in March 1995, and starting his professional career as Associate Counsel with Olaniwun Ajayi LP, he briefly ran his earlier practice, Stirling Lloyd in 1998. He was variously Senior Consultant, Manager and Senior Manager, Andersen/KPMG Professional Services (1998-2006); then Tax & Regulatory Partner, Templars Barristers & Solicitors (2007-2013) and General Counsel, African Capital Alliance (2013-2014), before founding LeLaw, (www.lelawlegal.com).

In carving a niche as a well-regarded Nigerian tax regulatory lawyer and business consultant, Afolabi has worked for and with global market leaders, blue chip Nigerian corporates and HNIs, the public sector; and international agencies on diverse transactions across all sectors; including big ticket, market defining, cross-border deals. He has also been involved with investment disputes arbitration, tax litigation amongst other civil and commercial matters.

Afolabi is widely published on diverse Nigerian commercial law issues, including tax regulatory business discourse, many of which are on LeLaw’s Thought Leadership page at: https://lelawlegal.com/index.php/page/blog. He envisioned and wrote the widely acclaimed ‘Taxspectives’ column for THISDAY Lawyer (legal section of leading Nigerian newspaper, THISDAY), between 2009 and 2015. He was involved with CITN’s two indirect tax treatises: ‘Indirect Taxes in Nigeria’ ((2014), co-editor and chapter contributor); and ‘Value Added Tax in Nigeria: Policy, Legal Administrative Issues and Options for Reform’ ((2021), Member Editorial Board and joint chapter contributor).

A regular presenter/speaker at local and international fora, his over two decades’ active contribution to Nigerian business landscape reform/competitiveness improvement discourse has appeared on diverse platforms, including in influential international media. His ‘Promoting Country Competitiveness Through Sectoral Reforms: Case Study of Nigerian Mobile Telecommunications Sector, 1999 – 2006’, was published by MentorHouse in 2014. Afolabi’s detailed professional profile is available at: https://lelawlegal.com/index.php/page/teams/1.

 

Aisha Rimi
Partner, Africa Law Practice

Aisha Rimi is a seasoned attorney, serial entrepreneur and an advocate of advancing women and children’s rights. She has practised Law with highly reputable local and international law firms for almost thirty years and is a Founding Partner at Africa Law Practice (ALP), a leading commercial law firm in Nigeria.

Aisha began her professional career as an intern in Ajumogobia & Okeke where she rose through the ranks to the position of Partner in 10 years. Prior to ALP’s founding, she was a Co-Founder and Partner at Rimi & Partners, a legal services and advisory practice offering corporate legal advise, business advisory and government relations services to a varied client base. Before this, she worked at international firms including GWI Consulting LLC as the Senior Vice-President, and Chadbourne & Parke LLC as a Visiting Attorney.

A wife, mother and passionate businesswoman, Aisha has established several successful businesses in real estate development and management, restaurant, hospitality and other sectors. She also sits on the board of CablePoint Ltd., Trasco Nig. Ltd., Browns Café & Restaurant, RNC Nigeria among other companies. Aisha is deeply committed to supporting children and struggling women in Nigeria, a passion that has led her to aid the establishment of various social and economic impact initiatives across Nigeria such as the Halal Children’s Orphanage.

She holds an LL.b and an LL.M from the University of Buckingham and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1991.

About Africa Law Practice (ALP)

Africa Law Practice (ALP) or ALP Legal, is a strategic merger of four distinct practices bringing together legal, business and policy expertise that underscores Africa’s growth. The partners have over 100 years of combined experience in legal and business advisory services in Nigeria and internationally. ALP Legal is associated with ALP International (Mauritius) Ltd and with partner law offices in Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

Amina Ibrahim

Amina Ibrahim is a Managing Associate with Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie, she manages the firm’s Abuja practice. Her specializations are general corporate advisory practice, intellectual property,  mergers & acquisitions, immigration, regulatory compliance and real estate matters.

Amina specialises in providing legal solutions to clients appearing before governmental agencies, legislative bodies, panels of investigation, and law enforcement agencies. Amina has assisted a vast array of multinational companies with legal advise and she is widely known for her ability to close difficult transactions. She has a vast network in government regulatory agencies. 

Anastasia Braimoh LL.B, BL, MBA Corp. Gov., FCIS.
Legal Practicioner

Anastasia O. Braimoh is a legal Practitioner with over 34 years at the Bar. She holds an MBA in Corporate Governance and membership to a number of professional Associations and Institutes. She is an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (ACIS), Associate, Institute of Capital Market Registrars (ICMR), Associate (ABR) Business Recovery & Insolvency Practitioner (BRIPAN), Associate, Institute of Fraud examiners, Associate, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (ACIArb), Associate, Toronto Centre Global Leadership in Financial Supervision and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (FCIS).

Anastasia is an experienced legal professional with a strong focus gained in the financial and capital market industry in Nigeria. She rose to the top of her profession as Director at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Nigeria, where she was Head, Legal Department for over 18 years and Head Enforcement Department for 4 months. She has significant knowledge in financial and capital markets in other jurisdiction such as in the United States, United Kingdom, South Africa, Malaysia and West Africa.

She has led and served in several industry, national and international Committees regarding various issues concerning the economy and  financial markets such as; Committee on review of the ISA 1999 and 2007, Committee on review of SEC Corporate Governance Code, Presidential Committee on Review of Tax Laws in Nigeria, Member of the Presidential Committee Financial Action Task Force (PCOF) on Money Laundry/Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT), Capital Market Committee Rules and Regulation Sub Committee, International Organization of Securities Commission (IOSCO) Committee on Investor Protection, the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), SEC Representative on Committee II “Procurement” and Committee VI “Security Interest”,  International Centre for Settlement of Dispute (ICSID) amendment Rules, Washington, USA etc.

She was a member of the Board of Trustees, Investor Protection Fund (IPF) of the Nigerian Exchange Limited. She is the first Vice Chairman of the Corporate and Regulatory Counsel Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association – Session on Business Law and member of the Board of Mentors for Governance Practitioners Committee of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria.

Chinenye Uwanaka

Chinenye is a nation builder, and her true passion is to empower people and fight against extreme poverty and Injustice. In line with her purpose, She has set up a brand and businesses that create wealth and lift people out of poverty, especially the youth.

She is the Founder and Managing Partner of The Firma Advisory – a boutique law and Consulting Firm in Nigeria with clients in Africa, Middle-east, Europe and America. Some of the firm’s core practice areas include; Energy Law, Information Technology, Intellectual Property etc.

She is an International Speaker & Instructor who has convened, hosted and moderated several stakeholder engagements, conferences and webinars with Government Agencies, Policymakers, World Renowned Experts, International Development and Donor Agencies, International Economists, World class Entertainers, Technology and Creative Industries.

Chinenye sits on the board of Hotspot Network Limited – a connectivity company with unrivalled experience in providing cutting edge wireless and cabling network engineering solutions to clients across Africa. She is also on the advisory committee for the 5-million-dollar Nigeria Youth Futures Fund from Ford foundation and MacArthur Foundation.

INTERESTS

ACHIEVEMENTS

EDUCATION

MEMBERSHIPS

Anthony Ikemefuna Idigbe
Senior Partner at PUNUKA Attorneys & Solicitors

Anthony Ikemefuna Idigbe is the Senior Partner at PUNUKA Attorneys & Solicitors involved with consultancy, business and human capital development through its Canadian affiliate, PUNUKA Consulting Inc.

He has 39 years of experience in insolvency, business restructuring, arbitration, dispute resolution, privatization, capital markets, mergers & acquisitions, etc., and has advised clients on several complex transactions. He was licensed to practice law in Nigeria in 1983, appointed Notary Public in 1989 and elevated to Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in July 2000. He was licensed to practice law in Ontario, Canada, in June 2016. He holds a doctoral degree in cross- border insolvency from Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. His dissertation was on the role of INSOL International in global norm making with the 1997 UNCITRAL Model Law on Cross-Border Insolvency as the case study.

He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Canadian Association of Nigerian Lawyers (CANL) and chairs the Board of Trustees of Dominican University, Ibadan. He is a fellow of INSOL International; Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, London; Business Recovery and Insolvency Practitioners Association of Nigeria (BRIPAN) and the International Bar Association (IBA). In addition, he is a member of the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators (AIPN); London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA); Lagos Court of Arbitration (LCA); International Chamber of Commerce, Nigeria (ICCN); Institute of Directors Nigeria (IOD) and International Insolvency Institute (III).

For a full view of his profile, check https://www.anthonyidigbe.com/

CHINWE ODIGBOEGWU, FCIArb, AMed, ASCMA
Lawyer, Mediator, Mediation Advocate, Arbitrator, Trainer, Chartered Secretary, Notary Public, and Author

Mrs. Chinwe Odigboegwu is a Lawyer, Mediator, Mediation Advocate, Arbitrator, Trainer, Chartered Secretary, Notary Public, and Author. She is currently the Legal Director of Guinness Nigeria Plc. (Diageo), having been promoted from her former role as Senior Commercial Legal Manager. Prior to joining Diageo, she was Head, Litigation and Dispute Resolution with Nigerian Bottling Company – NBC (Coca-Cola Hellenic).  Before NBC, she worked with the top-tier Commercial Law firm of Banwo & Ighodalo (B&I) where she rose through the ranks to become a Senior Associate and Team Leader of the Firm’s Litigation, Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Practice Group, and supported its Intellectual Property, Energy (Oil & Gas), Maritime & International Trade, and Corporate, Securities & Finance Practice Groups.

Chinwe is affiliated with professional bodies as the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN), the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators UK (CIArb), the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution, UK (CEDR), the Standing Conference of Mediation Advocates, UK (SCMA). She is a member of the Panel of Neutrals and/or Training Faculty of the Lagos Multi-Door Courthouse (LMDC), Lagos Court of Arbitration (LCA), and the Negotiation and Conflict Management Group (NCMG).

Chinwe is a natural teacher, renowned for her ability to communicate with people of various ages, cultures, and educational backgrounds. An Associate Fellow of the Nigeria Leadership Initiative (NLI), a Mentor and an Associate of Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ), a Mentor with Legally Engaged, 9to5 Chick and Leading Ladies Africa, Chinwe is very active in leadership, mentoring and societal development.

Chinwe is the Author a book on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitration Awards. She is a recipient of prestigious awards including “ESQ Nigerian Legal Awards, Top 40 Lawyers under 40” and Coca-Cola Hellenic Extra Mile Lawyer Award. She has also been recognized amongst Courtroom Mail’s ‘100 SHID (Super Heroes, Influencers, Disruptors) – Africa’s Influential Women in the Legal Profession’, ESQ’s ‘Leading Women in Law’ and 9to5 Chick’s ‘Top 100 Career Women in Nigeria’.

Baba Alokolaro
Managing Partner, TNP

Baba is TNP’s Managing Partner and has led the firm for a period of 15 years, during which TNP has been certified as a great place to work by the Great Place to Work Institute, Africa and has also been certified for Quality Management Systems (QMS) in 2019 and 2020.

He leads the firm’s Corporate Finance and Business Advisory Groups. He is regarded as a solution- oriented business lawyer and is responsible for the firm’s reputation in the Capital Markets and M&A space, having spear-headed a series of deals across several industries.

He also lends his expertise across areas of Project Finance, Corporate Finance, Infrastructure and Private Equity. His experience cuts across various industries including Power, Roads & Transportation, Manufacturing, Financial Services, Information and Communication Technology, and E-commerce.

Baba is the Head of the Corporate Commercial Africa Service Line of Andersen Global, he is a member of the Governing Board of the Lagos State Law Reform Commission and a member of the executive council of the Nigeria Bar Association – Section on Business Law. He is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and the Capital Market Solicitors Association.

Babatunde Irukera
Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC)

Babatunde Irukera is the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC). He is responsible for the daily management and leadership of the Commission in fulfilling its mandate to promote market competition, protect consumers and secure remedies when consumer rights are violated. His record of advocacy and representation in competition and consumers’ issues is exceptional and provides the clarity that both the Commission, and industry need in addressing issues of customer service/protection, promoting a level playing field in the Nigerian marketplace, and ensuring regulatory stability.

He has been in active legal practice for over three decades. His varied experience ranges from being In-house Counsel to General Counsel, Managing Partner in a law firm, and advising senior government officials as well as key government institutions. Over this diverse career, Babatunde gained considerable experience in transactions, competition law, consumer protection, civil rights and commercial litigation, regulatory work, government relations and practice management.

Key areas of significant litigation and resolution experience for Babatunde include medical malpractice. He was key counsel in prosecution, negotiation and settlement of a large multi-jurisdictional case involving a major pharmaceutical company and the conduct of a clinical trial that resulted in injuries. He also played vital roles in sector related consumer protection advancements including advising the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority with respect to its role in sector consumer protection. He led the initiative in developing current aviation consumer protection regulations as well as the Passenger Bill of Rights. He also led the team that revised existing aviation economic regulations and superintended a comprehensive regulatory and parliamentary investigation into anti-competitive behaviour by foreign airlines. He has also provided capacity-building and advisory services to government institutions and other clients with respect to competition/antitrust issues. He co-authors the Nigerian chapters in a range of competition/antitrust related widely regarded international publications.

His unique combination of advocacy, commercial practice and reputation provides the required mutual industry/regulatory assurance and balance for a vibrant and robust competition and consumer protection regime that promotes business stability and investment, as well consumer satisfaction and confidence.

Babatunde was admitted to practice law before the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 1990, and before the Washington State Supreme Court in 1996.

 

 

DAVIDSON OTURU
Partner at AELEX

Davidson is a Partner at the firm of AELEX, a full-service law firm with offices in Nigeria and Ghana, and heads its fintech, technology, media, telecommunications (TMT) and intellectual property (IP) practice groups.

He is a member of the American Bar Association (International Section), the International Bar Association, the Chartered Management Institute (UK), the International Technology Law Association, the International Trademark Association (INTA), the UK Chartered Institute of Trademark Attorneys, the Intellectual Property Law Association and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb, UK).

He has been ranked by IFLR 1000, Legal 500, Who’s Who Legal, Chambers & Partners, IP Stars and the World Trademark Review (WTR) 1000 as a leading IP, fintech and TMT practitioner. He has also been recognised by Chambers & Partners in its Global Fintech Guide as a leading expert in fintech and technology matters.

He serves on different government and private sector committees. He is the Chairman of the Legislation and Regulation Committee for Middle East, Africa and Asia at the INTA and is also a member of the Task Force on IP in Space. He is a member of the Committee set up by the Securities and Exchange Commission to create a roadmap for the use of fintech in the capital market. He also led the team that drafted the Nigeria Startup Bill which is presently before the National Assembly.

He serves as an advisor to several organisations, including tech-enabled startups, and mentors entrepreneurs and founders on regulatory compliance, IP and startup related issues. He is also presently a mentor at the Founder Institute, an international pre-seed accelerator.

He has an LLB from University of Ibadan, an LLM from the University of Cumbria, and an MBA from Queen Mary University of London. He also has several certifications in intellectual property, data protection, fintech and cybersecurity.

Bidemi Ademola
General Counsel West Africa & Company Secretary at Unilever Nigeria Plc

Mrs. Abidemi Ademola is a Corporate Counsel and Governance Professional with niche experience spanning over 26 years of Corporate & Commercial Law and Governance practice in Nigeria and West Africa. Bidemi is currently the General Counsel West Africa & Company Secretary at Unilever Nigeria Plc. Her forte is proactively identifying existing and emerging legal, compliance, transactional and corporate governance risks to business and developing innovative mitigating solutions. 

Bidemi holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife., a Master of Laws degree from the University of Lagos, Akoka and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Walden University, USA. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria and an Associate of the Chartered Governance Institute, United Kingdom. She is also a member of the Nigerian Bar Association, the Society of Corporate Governance and the Institute of Directors, Nigeria. She is an Associate member of Women in Management, Business & Public Services (WIMBIZ) and a Fellow of the WIMBOARD Institute, a WIMBIZ/IE University, Madrid Executive Education Programme for Women on Boards. Bidemi was the pioneer Chairperson of the Corporate Counsel Committee of the NBA Section on Business Law in Nigeria (now Corporate & Regulatory Counsel Committee). She is extremely passionate about Leadership, Governance, Compliance and Diversity & Inclusion. She writes thought leadership materials on these topics from time to time. 

Bidemi is married with three kids. She is proudly Nigerian and motivated by the personal purpose to always make a positive difference and build to last. She actively mentors other young professionals formally and informally. She enjoys walking, interior decorating and wholesome music.

Bode Olanipekun
Managing Partner of Wole Olanipekun & Co.

Bode is the managing partner of Wole Olanipekun & co, a Pan-Nigerian law firm established in 1980 under a sole-proprietorship model and has subsequently evolved into a full-fledged partnership that is reputed as one of the leading top tier law firms in Nigeria. He is an alumnus of the University of Lagos, University of Wales, Swansea and Harvard Law School. He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2006, and, approximately twelve years after, he was elevated to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria in September 2018.

He has extensive experience as counsel (for Nigerian and foreign parties) in complex court and non-court dispute resolution arising from medium and large size transactions across all the major sectors of Nigeria’s economy and business space. He has been commended for great industry and diligence in a reported decision of the Supreme Court of Nigeria whilst also receiving similar written commendation for diligence, steadfastness and professionalism on 20th December, 2019 from the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Bode has been in leadership in Wole Olanipekun & Co. for over a decade, and, in that period, the law firm has been engaged as lead counsel in several landmark litigations that represent significant precedents across all tiers of Superior Courts in Nigeria. His varied experience makes him a thought leader and has informed his participation as speaker and discussant at different law and non-law fora. As an active member of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), he served on the welfare committee set up to provide financial intervention for lawyers across the thirty-six states of Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja in the thick of the Covid-19 Pandemic; he is a member of the advisory committee of the NBA, Lagos Branch, and currently chairman of the New Wigs Induction and Placement Committee of the Branch. He also occupies non-executive leadership roles in some commercial and not for profit outfits.

Bolanle Adebola Ph.D, ACIS, FHEA 
Associate Professor of Law at the University of Reading, UK

Bolanle is an Associate Professor of Law at the University of Reading, UK. She is a leading expert in International Commercial Law. She specialises in Corporate, Governance, and Insolvency Law, as well as International Commercial Arbitration, which she teaches through a module accredited by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CiARB).  Her expertise cuts across the commercial law of both developed and emerging economies, with particular knowledge of the laws of England and Wales, the United States and Nigeria.

Bolanle actively engages in capacity building. She has contributed to the training of judges, regulators, and practitioners. She was awarded the prestigious Arts and Humanities Research Council Grant, through which she established the Commercial Law Research Network Nigeria (CLRNN) – a network that promotes research and knowledge exchange on matters relating to the development and reform of commercial law in emerging economies such as Nigeria. She was previously awarded a British Council Early Career Researcher Grant.

Bolanle a chartered Associate of the Corporate Governance Institute (CGI), the Assistant General Secretary of the Restructuring and Insolvency Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association, Section of Business Law, a council member of the Business Recovery and Insolvency Practitioners Association of Nigeria (BRIPAN) and an academic member of INSOL International, INSOL Europe and the Insolvency Lawyers Association. She is a member of the National Assembly Business Environment Roundtable (NASSBER, Nigeria) Expert Network, as well as a Fellow of the Higher Education Institute. She is also a contributing editor to the Lexis Nexis Encyclopaedia of Banking Law.

She obtained her LLB from Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, BL from the Nigerian Law School, LLM from Bangor University and PhD from University College London.

Charles Nwachukwu

Charles Nwachukwu was educated at the University of Lagos graduating in 1998. He was admitted to the Nigerian Bar in 2000 and received a Master’s degree in International Trade Law from the University of Wales in 2008.

Following stints in the financial and corporate law sectors he joined the Department of Petroleum Resources in 2008 where he served in various capacities including as the pioneer Coordinator of the Oil and Gas Alternative Dispute Resolution Centre.

He joined the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority in 2022 with responsibility for the Authority’s engagement with industry stakeholders on the implementation and operationalisation of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021.

Over the years Charles has served on various high level industry Committees and Working Groups. He is an alumnus of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre Accra, the International Human Resources Development Centre Boston, and has attended numerous professional development programs across the world.

Charles is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association, the International Bar Association, the International Dispute Resolution Institute, the Association of International Energy Negotiators and several other petroleum sector groups.

 

Chiagozie Hilary-Nwokonko
Partner at Streamsowers & Köhn

Chiagozie Hilary-Nwokonko is a Partner at Streamsowers & Köhn. He heads the Firm’s Energy and Natural Resources Practice and as well as its Legislative Oversight and Related Governmental Activities Practice. Chiagozie was also a Chevening Scholar at the Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy of the University of Dundee, Scotland.

Chiagozie has significant expertise having acted as team lead in several notable energy transactions, including the listing of an oil and gas company on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange in 2012 – the largest listing of an oil and gas company at the time.

He has also advised on several ‘first of its kind’ and high value transactions within and outside Nigeria. Chiagozie has been consistently ranked in/by several notable journals and publications for his contributions to the oil and gas sector in Nigeria. He is a member of the Section on Energy and Natural Resources Law of the International Bar Association and the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators.

Dayo Adu
Managing Partner of Famsville

Dayo Adu is the Managing Partner of Famsville, a full-service law firm located in Lagos. Dayo leads the firm’s Corporate & Commercial, Labour & Employment, Foreign Direct Investment & Citizenship, Business and Investment Immigration, and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practice groups. He routinely advises on due diligence, regulatory and compliance audit, corporate and internal investigations, and general commercial law.

Dayo also renders legal advice on foreign investment in Nigeria, corporate structures for investment, investment incentives, tax breaks for foreign investors and company establishment procedures. He has advised both indigenous and international firms and companies on general commercial laws cutting across different industries.

A Professional Negotiator and Mediator (PNM) and associate member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, UK, Dayo has numerous publications to his name. These include co-authorship of the Nigerian chapter of several notable international publications on Foreign Direct Investment, Secured Lending and Finance, Trademarks, Business Crimes, Labour & Employment Law, Product Liability, Corporate Immigration and Construction Law. Dayo’s pioneer work on ESG in Nigeria, till date includes the widely-read, ICLG’s ESG Law Report 2022, and ‘ESG for Nigerian Corporates: Key Obligations for Nigerian Corporates’ to mention a few.

He is a Notary Public of Nigeria and has been recognized by Who’s Who Legal (WWL) from 2018 till date for his expertise in Business Immigration, Labour & Employment & Investigations in Nigeria; and the Legal 500 for Corporate and Commercial law. A passionate advocate of global relations, Dayo is the Nigerian Representative of the Association of International Young Lawyers (AIJA) and a member of the American Bar Association.

Dolapo Kukoyi
Managing Partner at Detail Commercial Solicitors

Dolapo is the Managing Partner at Detail Commercial Solicitors and leads the firm’s Energy, Infrastructure and Power Practice and has extensive experience advising clients on a wide range of complex transactions. Her professional experience spans across Energy (Power, Gas and Renewables), Project development, Project Finance, Infrastructure development and finance, Corporate Commercial transactions and Mergers and Acquisitions. She is one of the leading energy lawyers in Nigeria having worked for government agencies, regulators, and private parties, institutional investors, and financing institutions.

 

Dolapo combines her strong legal background and industry knowledge to add value to each transaction and her attention to the intricacies of every brief sets her apart as a pillar of support to clients. 

 

Dolapo is also an avid speaker and thought leader and is passionate about encouraging the advancement of women in professional and business circles and increasing energy access in Nigeria and across Africa by leveraging private finance with the use of viable business and project models. 

 

Dolapo enjoys expressions of music, travelling for leisure and playing amateur golf.

Felix Orevoghene Alaita (rtd.)
Senior Special Assistant to His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, on Country Risk Assessment and Evaluation

 

Fola Akande

Fola Akande joined Cadbury Nigeria Plc. as Company Secretary/Chief Counsel West Africa in July 2012. Mrs. Akande is also a director on the Board of Cadbury Ghana Limited.

Mrs. Akande comes into the role with an impressive background in Compliance, Corporate Governance, Commercial and Finance Law. Mrs. Akande has an LLB. hons from the School of Oriental & African Studies (SOAS), University of London and an L.L.M from the University of Lagos. She has over 30 years of working experience and prior to joining Cadbury, she worked for Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria Limited as Company Secretary/Legal Adviser/Chief Compliance Officer.

Mrs. Akande is a special member (MCIarb) of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators UK, a Council Member of The NBA, Section on Business Law (SBL) Accredited Member of Institute of Chartered Secretaries And Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN),a member of the International Compliance Association (ICA) Global Practitioner Advisory Board and sits on the Governing Board of The Eye Bank for Restoring Sight Nigeria a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) set up for the purpose of creating awareness on Cornea donation and clinically restoring sight to individuals who have suffered “reversible” blindness as a result of damage of the Cornea. She also contributes some of her time in youth, women & girls empowerment and serves as a Mentor with (WISCAR) Women In Successful Careers, a Non-Governmental organization, set up to assist professional career women achieve their full potential.

 

Francis Anatogu
Senior Special Assistant to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on Public Sector Matters and Secretary of the Nigeria’s National Action Committee on African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)

Francis Anatogu is a Senior Special Assistant to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on Public Sector Matters and Secretary of the Nigeria’s National Action Committee on African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). In that role, he heads the Secretariat that coordinates Nigeria’s implementation of the AfCFTA.

He was the Secretary of the Presidential Committee that conducted impact and readiness assessment and stakeholder engagements that resulted in Nigeria joining the African Continental Free Trade Area

In earlier roles prior to joining the public sector, he advised companies in the energy and communications sectors on strategy, operations improvement, and project management.

Francis started his career in the oil and gas industry with international companies and worked in diverse roles across the exploration and production value chain around the world. 

He studied Mechanical Engineering at the University of Nigeria Nsukka and has an MBA from the Judge Business School, University of Cambridge.

Garba Abubakar
Registrar General /CEO - Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC)

Mr Abubakar is the Registrar General /CEO of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), the agency responsible for registration of companies and charities in Nigeria.

Until his appointment as the Registrar General, he was the Director in charge of Compliance/Litigation at the CAC. He had earlier served as the Special Adviser to the former Registrar General between 2010 and 2017. In that position, he championed the reforms on Ease of Doing Business in Nigeria with particular reference to Starting a Business. He also led the reforms in the areas of transition to full Electronic Registration, Integration of the CAC Registration Portal with the FIRS Stamp Duty Portal, Creation of Public Search Window which provides free information to the public on all entities registered by CAC as well as the implementation of Beneficial Ownership Disclosure in Nigeria.

Mr Abubakar also serves on the board of the Federal Inland Revenue Service.  He is also a member of the Financial Services Regulation Coordinating Committee (FSRCC), the National Steering Committee on Open Government Partnership and the Governing Council of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Business Law. He had served on the Governing Boards of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) and the Oil and Gas Free Zones Authority (OGFZA).

Mr Abubakar had also been involved in the design of some of the critical reforms in the Financial and the Corporate sectors as a member of various committees under the auspices of the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria, amongst others.

 

Irene Robinson-Ayanwale
Divisional Head Business Support Services/General Counsel of Nigerian Exchange Limited

Irene Robinson-Ayanwale is an accomplished legal practitioner with twenty years’ experience. Her expertise spans numerous areas including capital market, regulation, administrative proceedings, international trade, intra-African trade, international relations, corporate, commercial, intellectual property, technology, labour, banking, telecommunication, oil & gas, aviation, constitutional matters and ESG.

She is currently the Divisional Head Business Support Services/General Counsel of Nigerian Exchange Limited. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Capital Market Registrars and Institute of Corporate Administrators. She represents Nigerian Exchange Limited on the Board of Trustees of the Investor Protection Fund of Nigerian Exchange Limited and the Board of UN Global Network Nigeria Network. In 2022 she was selected by the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE) as one of the twenty-one (21) Women Leaders of 2022.

In 2021 she was named General Counsel of the Year at the Esq Nigerian Legal Awards, and also received a Highly Commended recognition at the 2021 African Legal Awards in the General Counsel of the Year category. Under her leadership, her Legal Team was recognized as one of the top 100 Legal Departments/in-House Teams in Africa Legal 500 GC 2018 Power List, won the In-House Legal Team of the Year at the 2018 Law Digest African Awards, has won five times consecutively (including in 2021) the In-House Capital Market Team of the Year Esq Nigerian Legal Awards, and from 2017 – 2020 been a finalist at the In-House Legal Team of the Year (Large) African Legal Awards.

From 2015 to 2018 – She was a member of the Systemic Policy Partnership/Oliver Wyman Report Implementation Workstream 8 set up by the Financial Services Regulation Coordinating Committee (FSRCC). From 2017 till Date- She has been a member of the Legal and Enforcement Sub- Committee of the FSRCC

From 2017 till Date- She has been the Chairperson of the Legal Committee of the African Exchange Linkage Project (An initiative of the African Securities Exchange Association and African Development Bank) From 2018 till Date- She has been the Co-Chairperson Nigerian Coalition of Services Industry She was a Member of the reconstituted Presidential Steering Committee on the Impact and Readiness Assessment of the AfrCFTA She was a member of the Technical Working Group of the Presidential Steering Committee on the Impact and Readiness Assessment of the AfCFTA

From 2019 till Date- She has been a member of the Domestic Engagement Sub-Committee of the National Action Committee on AfCFTA (NAC-AfCFTA)

This document is classified as: DC1 – Authorised Use Only – PUBLIC From 2020 till Date- She has been a member of the Legal and Nigerian Financial System Stability Council Bill Passage Technical Committee set up by the FSRCC From 2020 till Date- She has been the Co-Champion for the Business Services Sector Workstream of NAC-AfCFTA

She is known for her versatility, creativity and innovation, excellent analytical skills, extreme attention to detail, thoroughness and effective management.

Jeroen Ouwehand
Partner, Clifford Chance

With Clifford Chance since 1992, a partner since 2000, former head of Litigation & Dispute Resolution for Continental Europe, former Managing Partner of the Clifford Chance Amsterdam office and as of 1 January 2019 the Firm’s Global Senior Partner.

Jeroen also chairs Clifford Chance’s Responsible Business Board and its Global ESG Board.

Jeroen holds a Master of Laws degree from Leiden University and wrote his graduation thesis at the University of Seville. Jeroen speaks Dutch, English, French, German, and Spanish.

Nationality: Dutch

John Balsdon
Partner Latham & Watkins

Mr. John Baldson is a Partner in the London office of Latham & Watkins with over 25 years’ experience specialising in energy and infrastructure finance with an emphasis on the oil and gas and renewables sector. He advises clients on all major financing needs across the energy value chain ranging from project financing to restructuring, structured trade finance, prepayments, and reserve-based lending. He has had extensive experience working in both emerging and mature markets and is a member of the firm’s Africa, CIS & Russia, Latin America, and Nordic practice groups. 

His recent experience includes advising: EIB on a US$1.6 billion financing package for Northvolt, awarded PFI’s Europe Industrial Deal of the Year; Galaxy Pipeline Assets Bidco Limited on its public offering of US$4 billion senior secured bonds in connection with the acquisition of a stake in ADNOC Gas Pipelines, awarded PFI’s Middle East Infrastructure Deal of the Year; on a solar financing in Chile (Santiago Solar Project); TOTAL S.A. on its US$5 billion bridge to bond facility; and on a US$7 billion oil and gas project in Ghana with ENI supplying gas for power generation, the largest gas to power project on the African continent. 

Ranked as a leading individual in Chambers UK for Energy & Natural Resources, with sources noting that “he’s a strong team player and is very good with his clients” (Chambers UK 2019).

Joy Harrison-Abiola MCMI FSM
Practice Administrator at Dentons-ACAS-Law

Joy Harrison-Abiola is a leading legal management professional with over 23 years in the industry. She is the Practice Administrator of Dentons-ACAS-Law, providing strategic oversight to all the business support functions of the Firm. In this role, Joy plans, coordinates, directs, and is responsible for high level leadership and operational oversight for all the business aspects of the firm. She acts as an advisor to the Partnership, offering subject matter input into strategy formation and implementation. She sets and monitors performance and operational metrics for the firm. Her passion is to increase organizational efficiency and to “get everyone to work at their peak.”

In 2008, Joy was instrumental in putting together the first law firm management development program (MDP) at the Lagos Business School (‘’LBS”) Pan African University in collaboration with the Association of Legal Administrators (ALA) Illinois USA. She possesses a demonstrated track record in advocating and interacting with law firm leaders to institutionalize business best practices in their law firms. Joy believes that management in a law firm is not an appendage, but it is core.

Joy is a columnist with ThisDay Newspaper, her column, “From the Back Office” explores what law firms need to do to remain competitive and relevant in today’s economic climate. It also looks at ways to re-engineer and awaken the dynamics of the contribution of the legal management professionals, to better position them to provide practical solutions to the challenges facing law business. She has authored articles like, New Wigs – Surviving the First Years, Any Vision for your Practice? Covid-19 and Keeping Staff Loyalty. A Firm of Lateral Thinkers.

Joy is the President of the Association of Law Firm Administrators, Nigeria (“ALAN”). ALAN is a professional association that exists to provide support and to enhance the development of professionals responsible for the operational management of law firms. She is a member of the International Relations Committee (Africa) – Association of Legal Administrators Illinois USA. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Strategic Management Nigeria (ISMN). She is the Executive Director of Catalyst for Peace and Justice (“CPJ”). She is also a member of the Advisory Board of Business Africa Online – a pan-African online media platform, powering the entrepreneurial and social impact mindset.

Joy is also the Founder of Jenet-Serem Empowerment Foundation (“JEF”), targeted at adopting and supporting primary schools in rural areas.

Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi
Director-General/CEO of the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA

Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Director-General/CEO of the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, is a versatile Information Technology (IT) expert and transformational leader with experience that cuts across the private and public sectors. Mr Inuwa has bagged nearly two decades of corporate experience. He has applied himself and excelled in several positions with proven capacity, including managerial and leadership roles. His key competencies cuts across IT operations, growth management, business transformation, solution architecture, tech policy development and administration.

As a thoroughbred IT expert, Mr Inuwa is the first Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert, CCIE in Nigeria’s public sector. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi. He receives several executive certifications in leadership, innovation, networking, and solutions design from top-notch universities, including Harvard University, University of Cambridge, and Oxford University. He is also an alumnus of the prestigious IMD Business School, Switzerland, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan School of Management.

He started his professional career at Galaxy Backbone Ltd in 2006 as a network engineer, and in 2014 he joined the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as a Technology Architect. He then joined NITDA in 2017 as the Technical Assistant to the then Director-General.

On 20th August 2019, in recognition of his astute and focused leadership, Mr Inuwa was appointed the Director-General of NITDA by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR. Thus far, he has placed NITDA on the global regulatory and digital economy map and has implemented various strategic initiatives making indelible impacts on all Nigerians.

With Mr Inuwa’s determination to expand and grow Nigeria’s digital economy, In April 2021, he launched the NITDA Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP 2021 – 2024). SRAP provides direction, ensures the attainment of the digital economy’s gains, and affords several opportunities for Nigeria’s teeming youths.

In less than three years, Mr Inuwa, through the IT Project Clearance initiative, has cleared 310 unique IT Projects of 146 MDAs, with a total amount of 1.2 Trillion Naira. This has helped save the Federal Government of Nigeria more than 35 Billion Naira. Additionally, as part of his effort to sustain digital literacy and skills, he has trained more than 500,000 Nigerians across various walks of life. This, amongst others, has undoubtedly changed the lives of ordinary citizens and created wealth for the nation.

KOFO SALAM-ALADA
Director, Legal Services Department - CBN

Mr. Kofo Salam-Alada obtained his law degree from the Obafemi Awolowo University and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1987. He holds a Masters of Law also from the Obafemi Awolowo University. He has attended several executive courses both within and outside the country and he is an alumnus of the prestigious Harvard Kennedy Business School.

He started his career as a lecturer (junior trainee fellow) at the Obafemi Awolowo University. He thereafter joined the services of the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency, as a legal officer from where he joined the services of the Central Bank of Nigeria in 1990.

He was previously the Director, Consumer Protection Department before his re-deployment to the Legal Services Department, as Legal Adviser/ Director, Legal Services Department. In the course of his career, he has acquired extensive experience in banking and finance law, banking regulatory law, insolvency and bankruptcy, anti-money laundering/countering the financing of terrorism and arbitration amongst others.

He has over the years, participated in the drafting of key legislations, regulations and guidelines on banking and finance, thereby, contributing to the development of the law in this regard. Worthy of note is in this regard is his contribution to, and efforts on the enactment of the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act, 2020.

He played a critical role in the Banking Sector Reform of 2009 and was instrumental to the setting up of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), as well as other SPVs and spin-off institutions of the Bank. He was the first Acting Company Secretary of AMCON and is the pioneer Board Secretary of the Infrastructure Corporation of Nigeria (InfraCorp).

Mr. Kofo Salam Alada has made presentations at different fora on issues relating to banking and the financial system in Nigeria. He has served on several committees relating to the financial system within and outside Nigeria. He has also represented the CBN severally at working groups of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL).

He has in the course of his career mentored a number of young lawyers, bringing to bear his vast experience in banking and financial law.

He is a Fellow of the Institute for Service Excellence and Good Governance and a Member of the Nigerian Institute of Chartered Arbitrators, as well as a member of the Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators and the Nigerian Institute of Management.

Lolade Ososami
Partner, Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie

Lolade Ososami is a Legal Practitioner and expert in taxation law and policy.  She is a Partner in Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie’s taxation, corporate advisory, compliance & investigations, mining teams.

Lolade has a good understanding of the legal and regulatory framework for international investment in Nigeria and advises on diverse domestic and cross border commercial transactions across various sectors.  As part of her tax advisory work, Lolade provides support to foreign investors, large companies including tech giants, conglomerates, small and medium enterprises, start-ups and high net-worth individuals.

In the course of her work Lolade has had the opportunity to contribute to tax and policy reforms in the extractive industry. She was a member of the Fiscal Framework and Revenue Management Syndicate of the Legislative Framework for Petroleum Industry Reform, organised by the House of Representatives of the National Assembly.  She has authored several articles and is a contributor to the Transfer Pricing Law Review and has facilitated several workshops and knowledge sharing events on taxation.

Lolade obtained a Bachelor of Law (LL.B) from University of Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria in 1990 and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1991. She has a Masters in Corporate and Commercial Law (LL.M) from University of London.  She also has a Post-Graduate Diploma in International Tax from Robert Kennedy College, Switzerland.  Lolade is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria, a member of the Tax Committee of the International Bar Association, and a member of the International Fiscal Association.  She is currently the Chairman of the Taxation Committee of the Section on Business Law of the Nigerian Bar Association.

Marx Ikongbeh
Founder/Principal of Everlaw Associates

Marx is the Founder/Principal of Everlaw Associates, a fast-evolving commercial law firm with offices in Abuja and Lagos, Nigeria. He is a 2018 recipient of the ESQ Law 40-under-40 Award for young practitioners shaping the Nigerian legal profession.

Marx is an accredited agent of the Corporate Affairs Commission and has conducted business there since 2008. In 2020, he was appointed by the NBA President to the NBA Presidential Taskforce on CAC. He regularly advices domestic and foreign clients on corporate governance matters and compliance with the Companies and Allied Matters Act.

From a background in corporate practice and commercial litigation, Marx now works extensively in the fields of Arbitration, ICT/Technology law and Intellectual Property law.

He is the International Chamber of Commerce Young Arbitrators Forum (ICCYAF) Representative for Africa and is listed on the panel of neutrals of the Lagos Court of Arbitration and the Federal High Court of Nigeria ADR Centre. Marx is a Notary Public and a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK) and the International Bar Association.

Mbula Nzuki
MIKE CHUKWU FCA, FCIB, FCTI, FNIM, M.IoD
Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Spring Bank Plc

Mike Chukwu was until June 2007, the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Spring Bank Plc, which he founded, following the successful merger of 6 banks,  in December 2005. Prior to that date, he was for four years, the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Guardian Express Bank Plc, one of the constituent banks that formed Spring Bank.

His earlier Banking career took him through Fidelity Bank where he was Assistant Financial Controller in 1989; FCMB where he was Assistant Vice President (1996) and United Bank for Africa where he served as Assistant General Manager (1998).

Before commencing his banking career, Mike had trained and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in the high-brow firm of Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC), where for four (4) years, between 1985 and 1989, he was involved in multi-disciplinary assignments in consulting, auditing and taxation.  He was the First Prize Award Winner in the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) Foundation examinations of November 1986, admitted Associate of the Institute in 1988 and elected Fellow in 1998.

Mike Chukwu holds a Bachelors degree in Political Science (Second Class Upper Division) from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, obtained in June 1984 and holds the following professional memberships:

Mike Chukwu has attended several management and professional courses including the HIGH POTENTIALS LEADERSHIP PROGRAM of the Harvard Business School and the CHIEF EXECUTIVES PROGRAMME of the Lagos Business School. An avid scholar, Mike Chukwu lectures regularly in the programmes of the Institute of Directors and has lectured also in the programmes of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) and the Financial Institutions Training Centre (FITC).

In the Public Service arena, Mike Chukwu was the Chairman of the Governing Board of National Roots Crop Research Institute, a Federal Government parastatal, between 2009 and 2011, doubling during the period as a member of the Nigeria Agricultural Research Council. He also served as the Executive Chairman of the Ebonyi State Internal Revenue Board between 2019 and 2020, during which time, he was concurrently a member of the Joint Tax Board, the apex regulatory body for Taxation in Nigeria.

Mike Chukwu is currently the Chairman/CEO of Assetswise Capital Limited, a Private Equity firm he founded in 2007. He serves as a Non-Executive Director on the Board of several companies including Cowry Asset Management Ltd (a Securities and Financial Assets Management firm) and Eartholeum Networks Ltd (an IT Solutions company). He is 58 years old and is happily married with 4 children. He hails from Afikpo in Ebonyi State.

 

 

Muda Yusuf
Immediate Past Director General of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI)

Dr Muda Yusuf is the immediate past Director General of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI). He is an economist and has contributed immensely to the national economic discourse through his research-based analysis of policies of government as they affect various sectors of the economy. He is currently the Founder/CEO of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise [CPPE], an NGO committed to the ideals of free enterprise and private sector development.

Dr Yusuf obtained bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Economics from the University of Ilorin, Nigeria and University of Lagos, Nigeria respectively. He has a Masters Degree in Business Research form the Swiss Business School, Switzerland. He also holds a Doctorate degree in Business Administration from Swiss Business School, Switzerland. He has good insights and competences in Business and Corporate Strategy.  He is an alumnus of the Lagos Business School, having attended the Advanced Management Programme of the school.

He has participated in numerous high-level public policy advocacy dialogues at both the federal and state levels with the aim of fostering a conducive environment for private sector development in the Nigerian economy.  He is a leading advocate of an enabling environment for the Nigerian private sector and has a vast knowledge and exposure on Business Research, Policy and Regulatory issues affecting business.

Dr Muda Yusuf has attended numerous prestigious courses, conferences and seminars both locally and internationally.

Obafemi Banigbe
Co-founder and CEO of TV Anywhere Africa

Obafemi Banigbe is currently a co-founder and CEO of TV Anywhere Africa: an emerging media technology company that offers IPTV/OTT Platform-as-a-Service, local and international content aggregation, and a customized, a white-label user interface to enable telecom operators, internet service providers, and independent OTT players to profitably deliver high-quality content to their userbase in a cost-effective manner.

He is a seasoned technology leader, entrepreneur, advisor, and thought-leader, who has been at the driver’s seat of technology innovations and initiatives across key markets in Africa, often in C-level roles.

Prior to co-founding TV Anywhere, Obafemi was the former Chief Operations Officer of Millicom Ghana, the operator of the Tigo network in Ghana. At Millicom, he was responsible for driving the overall operations strategy of the business in Ghana. Prior to his role as COO, Obafemi had a six- month stint as the acting CEO for Millicom Ghana. He also previously served as the Chief Technical Officer for Millicom Ghana. Prior to Millicom Ghana, Obafemi served as the Chief Technical Officer for Millicom International Cellular Tanzania where he helped drive technology strategy.

Earlier in his career, Obafemi served as the Chief Technical Officer for Millicom International Cellular Tanzania where he helped drive technology strategy. Prior to joining Millicom, Obafemi worked with Celtel (Airtel) Nigeria as the Director of Operations. He had also worked with Ericsson in several capacities, the last being the Network Support Group Manager for Access and Transport Networks.

Obafemi is a resourceful change leader able to help a business navigate complex management and organizational change curves while ensuring minimal disruption to business deliverables. He has an in-depth understanding of strategic business management ensuring that business strategies are properly aligned with the specific market context to gain a sustainable competitive advantage in addition, Obafemi brings on board strong financial management skills with an in-depth understanding of business profitability drivers

Overall, Obafemi has a demonstrable ability to manage across different cultures, with extensive multi- cultural and multi-national exposure having worked in a highly diverse team across multiple markets, within and outside the African continent.

Obafemi holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Federal University of Technology Minna, Nigeria. He is a graduate of the Ericsson Management Development Program, as well as a product of the Advanced Management Program of London Business School. He also holds an MBA degree from Manchester Business School, U.K.

Odiaka Vincent Iweze

Odiaka Vincent Iweze, who is fondly called ‘VI’ by his friends, is a Lawyer and a Compere for  High Profile Events.

He is the Co-Founder of Pentagon Partners Legal Practitioners where he heads the Dispute Resolution and Capital Markets team of the Firm. His expertise traverses dispute resolution techniques and applications, business organization and reorganization, restructuring, capital markets, mergers & acquisitions, contracts negotiations, power and real estate developmental JVs.


He is a Notary Public, a CEDR Accredited Mediator, a Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and the Vice – Chairman of the Capital Market Solicitors Association. As compere, VI has hosted many successful events and is a regular feature within the legal community for conferences, seminars, and dinners.

 

Olasupo Shasore, SAN
Founding partner at ALP NG & Co

Olasupo Shasore, is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and founding partner at ALP NG & Co with over three decades of experience in legal practice. He is frequently instructed as lead counsel in diverse commercial and public sector disputes. Shasore is also an adviser on Energy, Electricity, and Infrastructure related transactions. Shasore is referred to as a ‘seasoned arbitrator and strategic litigator’ by “Who’s Who Legal”. He has acted for sovereign, sub-national and private international parties in international commercial & investment arbitration and litigation. He has significant experience in investor- state arbitration and is a leading African counsel with ICSID hearing experience, and other investment related disputes; Olasupo is a seasoned and frequently appointed arbitrator or expert on Nigerian Law; shipping & maritime law, and advises on risk in mining and natural resources.

He has consulted on reforms in the electric power sector. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, former member of the section on Business Law council of the Nigerian Bar Association, and past Chairman, Arbitration and ADR Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association’s Section on Business Law, former pioneer vice president of the Maritime Arbitrators Association of Nigeria and Former President of the Lagos Court of Arbitration [LCA]. He was admitted as an arbitrator Energy Disputes Arbitration Centre in Turkey and as a Pioneer member of The Asian Institute of Alternative Dispute Resolution.

He is a member of the London Court of International Arbitration Africa User Group; the Panel of Recognised International Market Experts (PRIME) and its Advisory Committee; and a former board member of International Lawyers for Africa (ILFA). He was the Attorney General & Commissioner for Justice of Lagos State, and a member/secretary of the Presidential Petroleum Revenue Special Taskforce and a resource person Nigeria’s Solid Minerals Regulator in connection with the “Roadmap for the Growth and Development of the Nigerian Mining Industry”.

Shasore’s practice areas include Litigation & Arbitration Maritime & Shipping Law, Energy, Natural Resources & Infrastructure, Commercial Law.

He is the author of the following legal practice books:

Rasheed Olaoluwa
COO at Axxela Limited

Mr. Olaoluwa is the COO at Axxela Limited, Nigeria’s leading natural gas distribution infrastructure company. In this role, he is responsible for Project Implementation, Sales & Marketing, and Operations across all Axxela businesses in Lagos, Sagamu & Port Harcourt in Nigeria as well as in West Africa.
 
He has over 3 decades of experience in the banking and financial services sector, playing senior and executive-level roles in commercial and investment banking, Treasury Management, Financial Control and Strategic Management at reputable institutions such as KPMG, GTBank, Ecobank, UBA, United Capital and Bank of Industry.
 
He was the pioneer Group CEO of United Capital Plc, a leading financial investment services company. He was also the pioneer CEO of UBA Africa from 2007 to 2011, during which time he extended UBA’s operations into 18 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
 
He holds a first-class honours degree in Civil Engineering from Obafemi Awolowo University, an Associate Membership of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and an Executive MBA from the International Graduate School of Management (IESE), Spain. He has attended many international executive development programs at Harvard, INSEAD, etc.

REGINALD UDOM
Managing Partner at Aluko & Oyebode

Reginald is the Managing Partner of Aluko & Oyebode (the “Firm”). In this role, he manages the day-to-day operations of the Firm and helps achieve the Firm’s objectives by focusing on the needs of its people and their efforts in serving clients. He is also a member of the Firm’s Banking & Finance team where he focusses on Energy, Finance & Infrastructure and has over 19 years’ experience advising sponsors, lenders, issuers, underwriters and borrowers in a number of projects involving LNG plants, oil and gas assets, real estate, telecommunications infrastructure, cement plants and steel mills.

He joined the Firm in 2007 as an Associate, became a Senior Associate in 2008, and was admitted to the Firm’s Partnership effective January 2011. He was appointed Managing Partner of the Firm effective January 2021.

Reginald attended the University of Lagos (LL.B) and University College London (LL.M). He was admitted to the Nigerian Bar in 2002.

He is consistently ranked by Chambers Global and IFLR 1000 (The Guide to the World’s Leading Financial Law Firms) as a Leading Lawyer. Who’s Who Legal ranked him as Most Highly Recommended in Banking in 2021 and as Global Leader in Banking & Finance in 2022.

Who’s Who Legal also noted that: “Reginald Udom is singled out by market sources for his sweeping knowledge of complex banking transactions and financing…the revered Reginald Udom is well versed in advising domestic and international companies on complex financing matters…”

According to a client testimonial published by The Legal500: “Reginald Udom,,, [is] very knowledgeable, responsive and with an amazingly calm temperament no matter what pressure he is under.’

Rukaiya El-Rufai
PwC Nigeria’s lead on Sustainability & Climate Change services and Public Sector Risk Assurance

Rukaiya is PwC Nigeria’s lead on Sustainability & Climate Change services and Public Sector Risk Assurance Services. She is a Chartered Accountant with over 10 years industry and consulting work experience. Her experience spans consulting and blue-chip companies in the Nigeria telecommunication industry where she has held several roles prior to joining PwC. 

She has advised a broad range of public and private sector clients on issues across the sustainability value chain in Nigeria as well as supporting transformational agendas and efforts towards United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) attainment. 

With a practical top-level experience at the federal ministry of finance and expertise in advising clients on operational strategies, and climate change adaptation & mitigation, Rukaiya brings to bear, her understanding of the Nigerian economy and sustainability value chain, as well as her understanding of net zero, climate financing, circular economy, sustainability strategy & transformation, non-financial reporting & assurance among others

She is a regular speaker at conferences and training dedicated to sustainable development and sustainability. 

Rukaiya holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from the prestigious London School of Economics & Political Science and also a Master of Public Policy from the Hertie School of Governance, Berlin.

 

Seye Ayinla
Partner - Duale, Ovia & Alex-Adedipe

Ayinla Oluwaseye is a partner in the law firm of Duale, Ovia & Alex-Adedipe and the co-head of the Firm’s Mergers & Acquisition Practice Group where he has advised on a vast number of merger transaction in pivotal parts on the Nigerian economy including manufacturing, oil and gas, banking, financial services, advertising, aviation, Fintech, Edutech, Legaltech etc. He is also the head of the Firm’s Competition Law Practice Group. He has advised several clients on the regulatory application for merger approval to several regulators including but not limited to the National Pension Commission, the National Insurance Commission and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.

Upon enactment of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (“Act”), Seye has advised both Nigerian and international clients on the compliance of their market conduct and practices with the relevant provisions of the Act and subsidiary enactment thereto. With specific reference to merger control, Seye has advised on a number of applications and advised on third-party submissions to the Commission in respect of notified transaction.

Seye is also the author of one of Nigeria’s pioneer text on Nigerian merger control titled “Nigerian Merger Control: Principles and Practice” published by LexisNexis. He was a co-author of the Nigerian Chapters to the Fifth Edition of the Private Equity published by Law Business Research Limited and Third Edition of Merger Control published by Global Legal Insight.

SHOLA SANNI – Director of Public Policy – SSA

Shola Sanni is Netflix’s Director of Public Policy in the Sub-Saharan Africa region. She is a seasoned advocacy professional and an emerging markets digital policy specialist.

With a career spanning corporate law, telecommunications policy, regulatory compliance, digital policy advocacy and government relations, Shola started out her career in public policy at Africa’s largest telco group with MTN Nigeria as Regulatory Affairs Manager.

She subsequently moved to the GSMA, global association of mobile network operators, to head up the industry body’s East Africa Public Policy function, in addition to which she led the GSMA’s mYouth and Child Online Safety portfolio across Sub Saharan Africa. During her time at GSMA, Shola was responsible for designing and executing the GSMA’s advocacy programs and stakeholder engagement strategy in the sub region.

She was instrumental in establishing the body’s strategic partnerships across the digital mobile ecosystem in the SSA region, instituting collaboration arrangements with organizations like UNICEF, ITU, ATU and the East African communications Organization. Shola then took a role as Director of Public Policy at Mastercard, where she was responsible for executing multilateral strategies to support digital payments policy and financial inclusion across Sub Saharan Africa.

While at Mastercard, Shola led the establishment of strategic partnerships on Cybersecurity within the digital financial ecosystem with key regulatory authorities such as the Central Bank of Kenya and the Central Bank of Nigeria. She was also responsible for Mastercard’s capacity building program for policymakers and regulators in the Sub Saharan Africa region, with a focus on financial inclusion and the Cashless Agenda.

Taiwo Oyedele
Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader at PwC

Mr. Taiwo Oyedele is the Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader at PwC. He is an author, keynote speaker, strategist, policy analyst and commentator on finance, business, and economic matters.

He is the Thematic Lead for the Fiscal Policy & Planning Commission, and Chairman of the Debt Management Roundtable of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group; Chairman of the Taxation & Fiscal Policy Faculty Board of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria; member of the Nigerian Taxation Standards Board; and a member of the Ministerial Committee on the implementation of Nigeria’s National Tax Policy.

Mr. Oyedele is a regular guest on various media programmes on TV, Radio and online broadcasting platforms. He is frequently referenced in many national newspapers and international publications.

He is a member of the Global Tax Forum and a former member of the Global Governing Council of ACCA.

Mr. Oyedele is an alumnus of the London School of Economics, Yale University and Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education. He is a guest lecturer at the Lagos Business School and the Founder and President of Impact Africa Foundation.

 

 

Online presence:

 Website: https://www.taiwooyedele.com/

Tinuade T. Awe
Chief Executive Officer of NGX Regulation Limited (NGX RegCo)

Tinuade T. Awe is the Chief Executive Officer of NGX Regulation Limited (NGX RegCo), an independent regulatory subsidiary of Nigerian Exchange Group Plc (formerly known as The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE)). NGX RegCo is a Self-Regulatory Organization (SRO) registered by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to provide regulatory services within the Nigerian Capital Market. Ms. Awe held various positions within The NSE from 2010 to 2020 and she was a member of the Executive Committee of The NSE from 2012 to 2020.

She is a life member of the Institute of Directors (IoD); and an Associate Member of both the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN), and the Institute of Capital Market Registrars (ICMR). Recently, she passed the examinations for membership of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS).

Ms. Awe graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) as the Best Female Student, Faculty of Law from Obafemi Awolowo University (1991); and finished at the Nigerian Law School with First Class Honors, graduating

 as Best Overall Student (1992). She holds Master of Laws (LL.M.) Degrees from Harvard Law School (2000), where she was a Landon H. Gammon Fellow; and The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) (1994), where she was a British Council Scholar. She is admitted to both the Nigerian and New York Bars.

She is the recipient of a number of awards and honours, including the General Counsel of the Year Award at the 2018 African Legal Awards, and selection by the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE) as one of twenty-one (21) Women Leaders of 2021.

Ms. Awe has a passion for education and between 2007 and 2008, she took time off from her Legal career to indulge this passion, working as Associate Director of Admissions (Anglophone West Africa) with the Johannesburg based African Leadership Academy (ALA) in South Africa. Her other interests include travelling, African art, and gender and development.

Titilola Akinlawon SAN
Principal Partner, Akinlawon & Ajomo

Anthonia Titilola Akinlawon SAN attended Egbado College in Ilaro, Ogun State for her Secondary Education from 1971-1975. Later, she moved to Methodist Girls High School, Yaba Lagos from 1975-1977 for Higher School Certificate.

She had her Tertiary Education at the Prestigious University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos from 1977-1980 and proceeded to the Law School in the same year and was called to the Bar on the 11th of July, 1981.

As it is normal procedure for every Nigerian graduate to serve the Nation, she was deployed to Ilorin, Kwara State, where she served as a lecturer in Law, Kwara State College of Technology, Ilorin, and a Pupil Counsel in the firm of Wole Olanipekun & Co under the NYSC Scheme between 1981 and 1982.

After her NYSC, she returned to Lagos in June 1982 and joined the Law Firm of M.I. Jegede & Co immediately where she commenced her legal practice in earnest.

However, her quest for success and educational pursuit endeared her to enroll at the University of Lagos to obtain her Masters Degree (LL.M) in September 1983.

She was an associate with the firm of M.I. Jegede & Co from 1982-1996, and a partner in the firm from 1997-March 2001, when she disengaged to set up the Law Firm of Akinlawon & Ajomo; a Specialist Litigation firm, in partnership with Mr. Ibukunoluwa Ajomo.

She was elevated to the inner bar on 26th August, 2011 although backdated to 2010. 

A consummate advocate of great repute and tax expert, she has handled numerous cases, up to the Supreme Court.

She is a member of The Nigerian Bar Association, International Bar Association (IBA), FIDA (Federation of International Women Lawyers), a Fellow of The Chartered Institute of Taxation Nigeria (CITN).

She is a Legal Adviser to The Chartered Institute of Taxation Nigeria (CITN).

 

Temi Badru
Founder of Voices and Faces Communications Ltd

Temi Badru (née Popoola) is a Nigerian lawyer, award-winning public speaker and compère for high-profile events. She is the Founder of Voices and Faces Communications Ltd; a PR and Communications firm and Voices and Faces Community. She graduated from the University of Ibadan.

Temi was one of the 100 recipients of the Royal African Young Leadership Forum Award 2021 by His Imperial Majesty; the Ooni of Ife. She was recognised by The Ruby Hub as one of the Top 50 Personalities on Linkedin in Nigeria in 2019. The following year, she was recognised as one of the 100 most powerful Nigerians under-40 on the YNaija Power list and as one of the 50 Shapers of the New Decade. She received the Media Influencer of the Year award in 2020 and Public Speaker of the Year award in 2021 from The Iconic Brands Awards.

She has over 8 years’ experience as a journalist who has been involved in radio and television presenting and production. She has also coached professionals and entrepreneurs to speak confidently in public.

In her capacity as an event host and conference moderator, she has anchored many events successfully for multinationals, national and international organizations, governments and NGOs, including Access Bank, German Embassy in Abuja, U.S Consulate in Lagos, International Chamber of Commerce Africa, WEConnect International, Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators, Chartered Institute of Project Managers of Nigeria, Rise Networks and African Development Bank. One of her strengths is the ability to engage the audience and speakers, irrespective of the area of practice or the technicality involved. Her clients always come back with testimonials of her work.

As a LinkedIn influencer, Temi conducts training and special consulting sessions to help professionals and corporate organisations leverage LinkedIn for career growth.

Temi Badru also volunteers for youth-focused non-for-profit organisations that promote leadership and enterprise . An example of this is her service as a member of the Faculty of The Platform Young Professionals Bootcamp.

Tominiyi Owolabi
Managing Partner, Olaniwun Ajayi LP

Dr. Tominiyi Owolabi (Tominiyi), an Eisenhower fellow for leadership, is the Managing Partner of Olaniwun Ajayi LP. He has been a mainstay in the oil and gas industry for about 30 years, and in this time, he has gained significant experience and earned his place at front-seat of the significant developments in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry. Having built a reputation for simplifying complex commercial deals – he is now relied on by International Oil Companies, Indigenous Oil Companies, National Oil Corporations, and international law firms, to navigate the legal aspects of complex oil and gas projects that involve the Nigerian oil and gas industry.

In the past year, Tominiyi led the team that advised the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas Ltd (NLNG) on the circa US$3Billion financing of its seventh liquefaction train. This deal has become a market standard for financing LNG projects across the world and was rightly awarded the African LNG deal of the year at the 2020 Project Finance International (PFI) Awards. He was also involved in pioneering the use of prepayment financing, when he advised NLNG on its circa $2.5 billion pre- payment agreement with NNPC for the development of upstream gas development projects. He continues to shape the industry with his work on financing refineries, most recently leading the team that advised on the financing and construction of the 5,000-bpd modular refinery developed by Waltersmith Refining and Petrochemical Company Limited in Ibigwe, Imo State. The refinery which was recently commissioned is the largest modular refinery in the Nigeria today.

Tominiyi’s experience spans the disparate yet interconnected fields of project finance, capital markets regulatory, mergers and acquisitions, oil and gas financings and asset acquisition. Beyond being a trusted legal adviser, his clients have come to rely on his ability to give practical advice that meets business needs – a skill he has developed first with an MBA from the Manchester Business School and a Doctorate in Business Administration from the University of Liverpool.

Uaboi G. AGBEBAKU
Legal Director & Company Secretary, Nigerian Breweries Plc

Uaboi is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators and an alumnus of the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma. Areas of interest include corporate governance, board matters, regulatory/compliance and business law.

He has garnered extensive experience in legal, business conduct, board and corporate/business matters starting with his time as an Associate in the law firm of David Garrick & Co. before joining the services of Nigerian Breweries Plc as Legal Affairs Manager. He subsequently became the Company Secretary/Legal Adviser and later the Legal Director & Company Secretary. He is part of the Company’s Executive Management Team as well as the Secretary to the Board of Directors. Uaboi has attended several functional and Management development courses/programmes in Nigeria and abroad. 

Uaboi has led Nigerian Breweries Plc to win several awards on corporate governance matters including the Most Compliant Company Listed on The Nigerian Stock Exchange, the Institute of Directors’ Nigeria Corporate Governance Award and Ethical Boardroom Magazine’s Corporate Governance Award. He has also been listed in the Legal 500 General Counsel Powerlist: Africa.

Uaboi is a member of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries & Administrators and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA). He has served as a Council Member of the Section of Business Law of the NBA. Uaboi continues to play active roles in sectoral groups including the Nigeria Employers Consultative Assembly (NECA), the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and the Association of Company Secretaries & Legal Advisers (ACSLA) in the Manufacturing Sector.

Uaboi spends time outside work playing tennis, watching sporting activities, bonding with his family and serving God.

Yemisi Awonuga
Partner - Templars

Yemisi is a Partner in the Firm’s Energy and Projects Practice and also heads the Firm’s Integrated Gas Practice. She holds a Master of Science (with distinction) in Energy Studies from the University of Dundee in Scotland and a Master of Laws in Commercial Law from Cardiff Law School in Wales.

She has garnered extensive specialist experience in all aspects of oil and gas development and advisory projects. She has advised the entire value chain in the energy sector. She routinely advises on the bankability of energy projects with a focus on risk evaluation, allocation and mitigation through contractual documentation.​ She has significant experience in regulatory due diligence, support on permitting and consenting processes, core project documentation including gas sale agreements, joint operating agreements, crude handling agreements and financing documentation.

Yemisi combines her commercial experience with her deep understanding of the regulatory and structural underpinnings of the petroleum sector.

On account of her work on various path-breaking transactions especially in the Nigerian energy and infrastructure space, she has been recognized by Who’s Who Legal and IFLR1000 Guide to the World’s Leading Financial Law Firms which references her in the following terms:

“Excellent, highly professional. Strengths: experience, communication and engagement. Thorough, prompt, always available, punctual and good understanding of the transaction. Yemisi is thorough in her reviews and always keeps the big picture in mind which enables us to at all times tie together different aspects of the transaction that ensured we were always kept protected. She is open to discussions and suggestions from the in-house team which goes a long way in helping to achieve a better outcome in reviews and negotiations. Yemisi has an in-depth knowledge of the oil & gas market… provided creative options and was readily accessible.”