Seyi Bella

Seyi provides advice on a broad range of transactions including project finance, corporate finance and M&A. Her focus is on banking and secured lending and she advises local and international financial institutions, corporate clients and government agencies on multi-currency, local and cross border financing transactions.  Seyi also has a broad range of Fintech clients and advises them across setting up, regulatory compliance issues, business structuring and M&A.

Our diversity policy demonstrates our un-biased commitment to gender equality. The Firm is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to recognising, recruiting, rewarding and retaining the most talented people regardless of race, gender, disability, or social class. Of the eighty (80) lawyers at the Firm, forty-five (45) are female, and of the twelve (12) Partners at the Firm, six (6) are women. Notwithstanding the admission of three new partners (one female and two males) effective May 1, 2021, the leadership structure of the firm still assures that the female gender is ably represented. In this regard, the Chief Operating Officer of the Firm and the Head of Human Resources are females.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic which led employees at many firms to begin to work from home, the Firm was already an industry pioneer in encouraging flexible working hours and adopting a work from home policy for nursing mothers. The foregoing, we believe, is an accurate reflection of the Firm’s unparalleled commitment to ensuring that women receive the requisite support to build rewarding and exceptional legal careers at the Firm.

The Firm celebrates the International Women’s Day with activities geared at promoting and show casing the female talents in the firm. In addition, there is a B&I Ladies Club, comprising female mentors from Partnership and senior associate levels that mentor, coach and provide support to female employees within the firm.

The Firm provides equal access to opportunities, resources and information to all employees regardless of gender whilst promotion within the Firm is strictly based on merit and performance.

To ensure a more inclusive environment for our women, we ensure the following:

• Continuous monitoring and evaluation of gender equality in the workplace.
• Promote policies on equal treatment.
• No discrimination in conditions of employment, work distribution and benefits.
• Transparent recruitment practices
• Inclusion in key leadership positions in the Firm.
• Supporting women with family-friendly workplace practices such as reduction in work hours after maternity leave, flexible work arrangements, etc.
• A women-focused employee group to empower our women to reach the highest rank of their career.

• Co-led a US$1.1 Billion (One Billion, One Hundred Million United States Dollars) transaction and represented a syndicate of international banks (including Standard Chartered Bank UK) in connection with a senior term loan facility advanced to Heirs Holdings Oil & Gas and TNOG Pipelines Limited for the purposes of financing the acquisition of a forty-five percent (45%) participating interest in Nigerian oil license OML 17 (and other oil and gas infrastructure) from Shell Petroleum Development Company Nigeria Limited, Total E&P Nigeria Limited, and the Nigerian Agip Oil Company.
• Led the team that acted as Borrower’s counsel to Union Bank of Nigeria in connection with a US$75,000,000 (Seventy-Five Thousand United States Dollars) pandemic mitigation facility advanced by the African Export-Import Bank. My robust experience in advising on English law governed transactions in Nigeria made it possible for my team and I to act as the sole counsel to the Borrower, notwithstanding that the deal involved multiple jurisdictions and governing laws.
• Led the team that advised United States International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) in connection with the provision of an additional term loan facility of up to US$35,000,000 (Thirty-Five Million United States Dollars) to Txlight Power Solutions Limited (as the “Borrower”), which will be applied towards the Borrower’s business of selling and leasing rooftop solar kits to consumers in Nigeria.
• Currently leading the team advising Shell Western & Supply Trading Limited as Nigerian Lender’s Counsel in connection with a US$75,000,000 junior reserves based lending facility to be advanced to Westport Oil Limited for the purpose of, amongst other things, funding ongoing capital and operating expenditures in respect of certain borrowing base assets.
• Co-led the team that advised the Appzone Group as Seller’s Counsel in connection with its US$10 Million (Ten Million United States Dollars) Series A investment led by CardinalStone Capital Advisers Growth Fund LP. This investment will see Appzone expand its banking technology across Africa and support the Group in building the next generation of infrastructure for digital financial services on the continent.

• M&A
• Private equity
• Asset/Project finance
• Real estate finance
• Restructuring and insolvency  

• Banking
• Oil and gas
• Real estate
• Social infrastructure
• Tech and telecoms

• Nigerian Bar
• New York Bar
• American Bar

• Nigerian Bar Association
• New York Bar Association

• LLB, University of Lagos 
• LLM, Harvard Law School