Femi Olubanwo

Femi Olubanwo is a founding partner of Banwo & Ighodalo, a large-sized Nigerian commercial law firm that provides first-class legal advice in most aspects of Nigerian corporate and commercial law. He is a lawyer with more than thirty-five (35) years of legal experience.

Femi’s core areas of practice are Banking and Corporate Finance, Project Finance, Securities and Investments, Mining and Intellectual Property. He has acted on behalf of companies (both domestic and multinational), international banks and financial institutions; and has been involved in various market-defining debt finance deals in the Nigerian (and indeed global) debt finance markets.

• Femi led the team that advised Gratitude Capital Ltd in connection with a NGN 2.6 billion facility advanced by Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc for the purpose of financing the Borrower’s acquisition of shares in Custodian Investments Plc, an investment company with interest in insurance, pension funds administration, and other financial services- related businesses.
• Led the team that advised Bay Canyon in connection with the NGN15.5 billion acquisition of 100% of the issued share capital of Oceanwinds Hospitality Limited, the owner of the Four Points Sheraton Hotel in Lagos.
• Femi was also instrumental in advising Bay Canyon in connection with a USD26.5 million term loan facility extended by a syndicate of lenders, including FirstRand Merchant Bank.
• Led the team which advised the lenders in connection with a reserve based lending and corporate facility of up to US$1.7 Billion advanced to Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc. The transaction involved both a Reserve Base Lending (RBL) and corporate facility with the RBL having an accordion feature.
• Femi has also advised many local and international banks on the internal processes behind their operations and has conducted in-house seminars for many banking institutions, including BNP Paribas and Natixis on unique transaction structures and documentation. He advises the Mauritius Commercial Bank Limited as Nigerian Lender’s counsel in connection with its Nigerian financing transactions from time to time.

• Banking
• Intellectual Property
• M&A
• Private equity
• Project finance
• Technology and Technology
• Media

• Banking
• Consumer goods and services
• Media
• Mining
• Real estate
• Tech and telecoms

• LL.B Hons, University of Lagos, 1976 - 1981
• B.L, Nigerian Law School

• Nigerian Bar