Ajumogobia & Okeke

Ajumogobia & Okeke (“A&O”, “We” or the “Firm”) is a leading full service commercial law firm with its head office in Lagos, Nigeria. We embrace our local and international knowledge to complete our clients’ transactions and enable our clients to achieve their objectives. Our correspondent relationships with firms in the United Kingdom, Europe, Asia, the United States of America and Africa enable us to draw on global experience and expertise, complementing our ability to provide effective and cost efficient services. 

Founded in 1984, the Firm has established its reputation by acquiring unrivalled knowledge of its clients’ business sectors, as well as strong and long-standing contacts throughout the commercial sector. The Firm is a multi-partner law practice with diverse expertise at the partner level and firm-wide. 

A&O has established a reputation for providing cutting-edge legal advice using best practice techniques and solutions to meet our client’s demands. The Firm currently has lawyers organised into dedicated practice groups, which enable us to offer a full complement of commercial legal services from our offices, which are strategically located in the commercial capital, Lagos, the centre of the oil and gas industry, Port-Harcourt and the seat of government in Abuja. In addition, A&O has competent paralegals that support the work of its lawyers. 

Over the years, A&O has drawn on the unique expertise and experience of its staff, acquired from within the public and private sectors of the Nigerian economy. Mr. H. Odein Ajumogobia SAN, senior partner of the Firm, served the Government of Nigeria at the State and Federal levels. Between 2007 and 2010 he served as Minister of State for Energy/Petroleum Resources in the Federal Government. He returned to the Firm in 2011, bringing his considerable wealth of experience to bear on transactions involving the Firm’s clients. 

A&O brings to bear a highly coordinated and multi-disciplinary team that designs and implements creative, value maximising solutions to complex matters. Working in an efficient and seamless manner among its offices and practice groups in Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt, A&O provides client-specific solutions based on the unique circumstances of each transaction.

The Firm has over the years provided a broad range of legal services to numerous corporate clients. A&O has considerable and varied experience in a wide range of practice areas, such as Energy Resources & Environment, Oil and Gas, Banking & Finance, Taxation, Foreign Investments, Capital Markets, Mergers and Acquisitions, Reconstructions, Intellectual Property, Shipping/Maritime, Commercial Litigation, Aircraft & Aviation, Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).

• Asset finance
• Banking
• Capital markets: Debt
• Capital markets: Derivatives
• Capital markets: Equity
• Financial restructuring
• Financial services regulatory
• Hedge funds
• Investment funds
• M&A
• PPP/PFI
• Private equity
• Private equity funds
• Project bonds
• Project development
• Project finance
• Real estate finance
• Real estate funds
• Restructuring and insolvency
• Securitisation
• Structured finance/securitisation
• Trade finance

Corporate & Commercial
H. Odein Ajumogobia SAN
odein@ajumogobiaokeke.com

Recent transactional highlights:

• Successfully represented a leading pan-African reinsurance company and the largest reinsurer in Africa in terms of net reinsurance written premiums at Nigeria’s Court of Appeal in a dispute with Nigeria’s corporate payroll tax collecting authority in respect of a payroll tax liability of NGN916,703,476.99 that had risen over the years to close to the tune of N2,000,000,000.00.
• Successfully represented a leading pan-African reinsurance company against Nigeria’s federal revenue authority in respect of a N110,000,000  tax demand from the federal revenue authority.
• Head of the Legal team advising CBI Broadcasting Ltd in respect of its expansion to 6 Countries in the Middle East and across Africa.
• Representing an international oilfield services company whose execution of the USD$3 Billion UFR component of the Egina FPSO project is the subject of the Nigerian Senate Local Content investigation. 
• Advised an indigenous oil and gas company on its legal rights under Nigerian law in respect of a transaction regarding consideration for the company’s strategic assistance to the shareholder of a company that purchased a share in an OML, but failed to remit same to the company.
• Head of the legal team that advised the Delta State Government as solicitors to the Public Offer for the subscription of 50,000,000 (Fifty Million) units of revenue bonds in the N5billion First Delta State Floating Rate Redeemable Revenue Bond aimed at raising funds in the Nigerian Capital Market for the financing of various developmental projects in Delta State of Nigeria. 
• Head of legal team that advised and negotiated all aspects of the divestment and deregistration of Banque Internationale Pour L’Afrique Occidentale as a shareholder of Afribank Plc.
• Head of the legal team that advised the Bureau for Public Enterprises and National Council for Privatisationin the privatisation of Nigerdock.

Dispute Resolution and Corporate & Commercial 
Babatunde A. Sodipo
bsodipo@ajumogobiaokeke.com

Recent transactional highlights:

• Advised a multinational IT company in the USD$4.9 million leasing of office space in a multi-storey LEED certified commercial development in Ikoyi. Reviewed and negotiated the terms of the deed of lease and undertook perfection thereof.
• Advised the U.K. branch of a German investment bank as lead arranger and agent bank to a consortium of foreign investment banks and financial institutions, and rendered a legal opinion on the documentation for the limited recourse financing of the construction and acquisition of four liquefied natural gas carriers to be chartered by NLNG. 
• Advised a multinational company and an international finance organization in a USD$30million cross border financing of a medium scale loan facilities scheme aimed at providing working capital and capital investment funds for local contractors in Southern Nigeria through a Nigerian Bank.
• Advised a French telecommunications multinational for the provision of documentation for a proposed USD$265million crude oil pre-export financing facility and Equipment supply arrangement for a Nigerian telecommunications Company and its associated companies. 
• Advised on the restructuring and private acquisition from the Central Bank of Nigeria of a former State Government-owned Nigerian bank by a consortium of three Nigerian banks and a Nigerian financial institution by the purchase of over 3,000,000,000 (Three Billion) ordinary shares (and a proposed debt/equity conversion) for the generation of about N2.5 billion required for the re-capitalisation of the bank.
• Advised the Delta State Government as solicitors to the Public Offer for the subscription of 50,000,000 (Fifty Million) units of revenue bonds in the N5billion First Delta State Floating Rate Redeemable Revenue Bond aimed at raising funds in the Nigerian Capital Market for the financing of various developmental projects in Delta State of Nigeria. 
• Provided general legal advisory services to Oracle Software Nigeria Limited and concluded the review and negotiation of a multi-million dollar lease agreement of an office space in Ikoyi, Lagos. 
• Defended a leading international oil company in multi-suit oil spill litigation across five (5) states in Nigeria at the State High Court, Federal High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.
• Head of the legal team defending the largest global tobacco manufacturer in reimbursement suits across five (5) states in Nigeria at the State High Courts, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court and advising on various tobacco litigation and product liability issues.
• Represented the largest global beer manufacturer in suits and appeals pending before the Federal High Court and Court of Appeal in Lagos in a local licensing dispute involving the enforcement of a foreign arbitral award against a Nigerian brewery.
• Advised an international oil company engaged in a set of complex English law LCIA arbitrations in the UK (which spurned Nigerian court proceedings) to recover debts in the region of USD$80,000,000.00 against a local oil and gas entity. 
• Defended a Paris-based international commercial and investment bank in intellectual property litigation at the Federal High Court, Lagos.
• Successfully represented a consortium of Nigerian banks in an appeal at the Supreme Court of Nigeria on a dispute arising from the appointment of a receiver/manager over the sole landed asset of a debtor customer of the banks. 
• Advised the BPE/NCP on the successful privatization of the largest ship repair yard and offshore construction facility in Nigeria. 
• The points-man who supervised the tender bid process for the advertised sale of two premium properties of the BHC in upscale areas of Ikoyi, Lagos.
• The points-man for the Ajumogobia & Okeke team that advised the Embassy of the Netherlands (when it was based in Lagos) on the advertised sale of the premium residence of the Ambassador of the Netherlands to Nigeria, situate in Ikoyi, Lagos by way of a tender bid process and supervised the bid process.

Dispute Resolution and Corporate & Commercial 
Patrick A. Osu
posu@ajumogobiaokeke.com

Recent transactional highlights:

• Transaction adviser for the acquisition of equity in Valucard Nigeria Plc, by Visa International, creating the largest card payments systems in Nigeria.
• Lead transaction adviser to MTN for the development of the $22,000,000 (Twenty Two Million Dollars) multi-level car park and Jetty in a Public Private Partnership transaction between MTN and the Lagos State Government.
• Lead adviser representing Private Equity firm in the N10 Million USD Equity Link Note transaction for the acquisition of equity in an Insurance company in Nigeria.
• Head of legal team currently acting as legal advisers to Her Majesty’s Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in respect of the sublease of a property situate in Abuja, comprising of twenty two (22) dwelling houses and recreational facilities. Our scope of work includes preparation and registration of the Sublease Agreement.
• Counsel that acted for Indorama Group in the acquisition of the Eleme Petrochemical Company in Nigeria. This involved the preparation of loan syndication, security, and other legal documentation relating to the acquisition.
• Transaction adviser in the purchase of equity stake in a Sub-Sea Diving/Oil and Gas company with a transaction value of $40 Million Dollars.
• Transaction adviser in the purchase of equity stake in West African Oil Services Nigeria Limited (an Oil and Gas company) with a transaction value of $100 Million Dollars.
• Member of the legal team that advised a private equity fund in an Equity Linked Note acquisition of shares in a Nigerian life assurance company.
• Member of the legal team that acted as counsel to the Bureau of Public Enterprises on the proposed sale by the Federal Government of Nigeria of its 24% shareholding in a hotel to the general public through an Offer for Sale.
• Part of the legal team that conducted legal due diligence and rendered advisory services on behalf of an international fund for the acquisition of controlling interest in a Nigerian bank following Central Bank of Nigeria’s invitation to strategic investors to submit bids for the acquisition of shares in some bailed-out banks in Nigeria.
• Advised the 4Power Consortium on the acquisition of the Port Harcourt Distribution Electricity Company under the Federal Government privatization of the National Electric Power Authority (now Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc.)
• Counsel to the Indorama Group in the acquisition of the Eleme Petrochemical Company in Nigeria on a transaction valued at $270,000,000 
• Transaction adviser in the purchase of equity stake in Hydrodive Nigeria Limited valued at $40,000,000
• Transaction Leader and adviser in an ongoing EPC Project for the development of a 4000 ton Cement plant in Shagamu Ogun State valued over $500 Million.

• Aviation
• Banking
• Construction and materials
• Consumer goods and services
• Energy
• Financial services
• Food and beverage
• Gaming
• Government and public policy
• Industrials
• Insurance
• Investment management 
• Media
• Mining
• Natural resources
• Oil and gas
• Real estate
• Shipping
• Tech and telecoms
• Transport 
• Utilities 

Plot 272/273 Samuel Ademulegun Street
UACN Building 
Central Business District
Abuja, Federal Capital Territory 
Nigeria
T: +234-09-8734510
E: ao@ajumogobiaokeke.com
W: www.ajumogobiaokeke.com

1st floor, Sapphire House
39, Wogu Street 
D/Line 
Port Harcourt 
Nigeria
T: +2347042000110
E: ao@ajumogobiaokeke.com
W: www.ajumogobiaokeke.com