Gbolahan Elias

Gbolahan Elias (BCL, D. Phil, Oxon) is a partner of G. Elias & Co., one of Nigeria’s leading business law firms. He is called to the Nigerian and New York bars and is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. He has over 30 years’ experience in carrying out banking and finance, project finance, corporate and commercial work for both private and public sector clients in several industry sectors. His work and that of the firm has been widely recognised and applauded in leading international directories of business law firms.

• Advised on the merger between two cement companies, one of them being the third largest publicly-quoted cement manufacturing company in Nigeria (US$300million). 
• Advised Ossiomo Power and Infrastructure Ltd. on developing (a) a 550MW gas-powered IPP at Ologbo in Edo State, (b) separate 8km of 11kva and 8km of 33kva distribution lines in Edo State and (c) the nation’s first NERC-licensed independent electricity distribution network
• Currently advising a Far Eastern global multinational on its acquisition of a large stake in the holding company of the project company for the Lekki deep sea port in the Lekki Free Trade Zone
• Currently advising XXX on the development of a 25-storey twin-tower building with 41 luxury apartments on Bourdillon Road in Ikoyi, Lagos (currently the tallest building under construction in Nigeria)

• Capital markets: Debt
• M&A
• Private equity
• Project finance
• Restructuring and insolvency

• Consumer goods and services
• Energy
• Financial services
• Oil and gas
• Real estate

• New York (1990)
• Nigeria (1981)

• International Association of Defence Counsel (first African member)
• Nigerian Institute of Petroleum
• Nigerian Bar Association
• International Bar Association
• Energy Institute (UK)
• Nigerian Maritime Lawyer’s Association
• Chartered Institute of Arbitrators

• Magdalen College, Oxford (BA, BCL), (1977- 1980; 1982 - 1986)
• Merton College, Oxford (D Phil.), (1986 - 1989)
• Nigerian Law School, (BL), (1980 - 1981)