G. Elias & Co > Lagos, Nigeria > Firm Profile
G. Elias & Co Offices
6 BROAD STREET
LAGOS
Nigeria
G. Elias & Co > The Legal 500 Rankings
Nigeria > Banking, finance and capital markets Tier 1
Fred Onuobia and Segun Omoregie jointly head G. Elias & Co's practice, which has a solid track record in advising financial institutions, international banks, and investors. The department is also well versed in handling IPOs and commercial paper issuances, and regularly assists clients in a broad range of sectors with lending matters. Gbolahan Elias and Emeka Ezekwesiri bring expertise in project finance, and Michelle Chikezie and Amarachi Ikevude are often instructed in debt and equity capital markets work. Amarachi Ikevude’s workload includes banking and structured finance matters. Okechukwu Okoro and Amanda Opara are key names to note.Practice head(s):
Fred Onuobia; Segun Omoregie
Other key lawyers:
Key clients
African Export-Import Bank
Lagos State Government
BUA Industries Limited
Titan Trust Bank Limited
United Capital Plc
Fund for Export Development in Africa (FEDA)
Lagos Free Zone Company Plc
Work highlights
- Advised Lagos State Government on its establishment of a NGN1 trillion debt and hybrid instruments issuance programme.
- Advising the African Export-Import Bank on the provision of a US$300 million intra-African trade investment finance facility to Access Holdings Plc to finance a intra-African trade expansion strategy.
- Advised a syndicate of lenders, led by the Standard Chartered Bank, on financing the development of oil wells in fields with certain oil mining leases.
Nigeria > Commercial, corporate and M&A Tier 1
Led by corporate finance and private equity expert Segun Omoregie, G. Elias & Co's corporate team is active in the aviation, healthcare, oil and gas and infrastructure sectors. The group's workload includes M&A, foreign investment, tax issues, corporate restructurings and private equity matters. Fidelis Adewole is well versed in handling tax and restructuring matters in the corporate space, and Gbolahan Elias is highly regarded for his solid track record in advising on large-scale corporate transactions and M&A deals.Practice head(s):
Segun Omoregie
Other key lawyers:
Gbolahan Elias; Fidelis Adewole; Lisa Onianwa; Ayodele Kadiri; Lolia Biobele-Georgewill; Oluwafunmilayo Mayowa
Testimonials
‘The team has a track record in providing reliable legal support to both local and international entities.’
‘Gbolahan Elias has the respect of his peers, which helps in difficult negotiations.’
Key clients
TGI and Titan Trust Bank Limited
Fund for Export Development in Africa
mPharma Africa B.V.
SWAP Technologies and Telecomms Ltd.
Massmart Holdings Limited
Ombrella Brokers Insurance Limited
Work highlights
- Advised Titan Trust Bank Limited on the acquisition of a 93.41% equity stake in the Union Bank of Nigeria.
- Advised mPharma B.V on its indirect acquisition of a majority stake in HealthPlus Group.
- Advised Swap Technologies and Telecomms Plc on its merger with Pan African Towers Ltd.
Nigeria > Dispute resolution Tier 1
The disputes practice at G. Elias & Co is home to a team with extensive experience in handling white-collar crime investigations. Department head Gbolahan Elias has a broad practice, which takes in construction, employment, real estate, and tax disputes, and Fred Onuobia is a key contact for international financial institutions. Contentious tax matters are prominent in the workload for both Fidelis Adewole and Stephen Arubike; the latter is also recognised for his expertise in energy litigation. Abubakar Anafi is well regarded for advising on share price manipulation issues. Chimezie Onuzulike is experienced in handling commercial litigation and international arbitration. Marian Asuenimhen has left the firm.Practice head(s):
Gbolahan Elias; Fred Onuobia; Fidelis Adewole; Abubakar Anafi; Stephen Arubike
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘The law firm is made up of courteous, highly professional, and dedicated staff with high intellects.’
‘The team is extremely diverse.’
‘They have high intellect and provide feedback on court proceedings in good time.’
‘Some of the most experienced and talented litigators in the market. The team is very savvy with banking litigation.’
Key clients
British American Tobacco Plc
Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Ltd
Titan Trust Bank Limited and Union Bank of Nigeria Plc
Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited and Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Ltd.
Pension Transitional Arrangements Directorate (PTAD)
MTN Nigeria Communications Ltd
New Skies Satellite B.V.
FBN Insurance Limited
Arik Air Nigeria Ltd.
UAC of Nigeria PLC
IMA Zambia Limited
Coca-Cola Nigeria Ltd.
Work highlights
- Representing British American Tobacco in product liability cases with a claim of over N5trn.
- Advising a power-generation developer client on two ICC arbitrations brought against the Federal Government of Nigeria, valued at over $1.1 billion.
- Successfully represented Union Bank of Nigeria Plc and Titan Trust Bank Limited in two lawsuits heard before the Federal High Court and the Investments and Securities Tribunal respectively.
Nigeria > Energy and natural resources Tier 1
G. Elias & Co‘s practice stands out for its ‘excellent commercial expertise’. Under the joint leadership of Gbolahan Elias and Fred Onuobia, the team is recognised for its ‘deep expertise’ in handling domestic and international oil and gas transactions. Elias’ workload includes energy projects and structuring transactions, and Okechukwu Okoro has been kept busy advising on investments in the renewable energy space.Practice head(s):
Gbolahan Elias; Okechukwu Okoro
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Excellent commercial knowledge.’
‘A commercial mindset.’
‘Deep expertise.’
‘360-degree thinking.’
‘Quick turnaround.’
Key clients
Macready Oil and Gas Services Company Limited
Sentinel Energy and Gas Ltd
Duport Midstream Company Limited
BUA International Limited
Siemens Energy Limited
Geoplex Drillteq Limited
Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority
Infrastructure Credit Guarantee Company Limited
All On Partnerships for Energy Access Limited
Mojec International Limited
Work highlights
- Advising Macready and its consortium on the rehabilitation of the Nigerian Pipelines and Storage Company Limited’s (NPSC) crude oil and refined products pipelines.
- Advised Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority on the development and construction of a 10MW solar farm.
- Advised Energy Access Limited on providing multi-million dollar investment financings to renewable energy project developers.
Nigeria > Real estate and construction Tier 1
G. Elias & Co is active in real estate development and construction matters in the healthcare, hospitality, and telecoms sectors, and has an excellent reputation for handling international arbitration cases arising from major projects. Gbolahan Elias is well versed in representing clients from the transport sector in mandates, with established strength in advising on prominent rail maintenance and operation matters. Fidelis Adewole has been kept busy advising on mixed-use property transactions. Okechukwu Okoro, Japhet Eneh, Oluwafunmilayo Mayowa and Kuburat Abubakar are notable practitioners.Practice head(s):
Gbolahan Elias; Fidelis Adewole; Okechukwu Okoro
Other key lawyers:
Japhet Eneh; Oluwafunmilayo Mayowa; Kuburat Abubakar; Lolia Biobele-Georgewill
Testimonials
‘Client service is excellent. The team is very attentive and brings its experience and knowledge to every scenario.’
‘Strategic thinking about our project and how to ensure we are fully protected legally.’
‘Attention to detail.’
‘An amazing team of talented and innovative professionals.’
‘Clear knowledge of the law.’
‘A prompt, active, and diverse team.’
‘Very responsive.’
‘Gbolahan Elias and Japhet Eneh have been top notch.’
Key clients
IASO Medipark Limited
Infrastructure Credit Guarantee Company Limited
New Cruise Development Company
African Export-Import Bank
Triwood Paper Mills Nigeria Limited
Daraju Industries Limited
Family Homes Fund
Work highlights
- Advising the IASO Consortium on the concession for the development of an ultra-modern Medical Centre (“Medipark”).
- Advising Paragon Holdings Limited on the development of thirty hectares of land in Lagos under a joint venture structure.
- Advising the Lagos State Government and Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority on the development and construction of the 37km metro railway line.
Nigeria > Shipping and transport Tier 1
G. Elias & Co is active in project finance and infrastructure development matters, and often represents clients in freight and admiralty law cases. The practice is jointly led by the triumvirate of Okechukwu Okoro, Gbolahan Elias and Fred Onuobia, who is well versed in assisting public and private sector clients with shipping and transport transactions. Japhet Eneh and Lolia Biobele-Georgewill are 'stand-out performers'. Oluwafunmilayo Mayowa and Kuburat Abubakar are names to note.Practice head(s):
Gbolahan Elias; Fred Onuobia; Okechukwu Okoro
Other key lawyers:
Japhet Eneh; Lolia Biobele-Georgewil; Oluwafunmilayo Mayowa; Kuburat Abubakar
Testimonials
‘Gbolahan Elias, Japhet Eneh, and Lolia Biobele-Georgewill are stand-out performers. They combine industry knowledge with excellent, timely service delivery.’
Key clients
Lagos State Government
Africa Plus Partners
Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON)
Kuramo Capital Management LLC
Sifax Group of Companies Limited
Aureos Africa Fund/ C & I Leasing
Posh Semco PTE Ltd.
Africa Finance Corporation
Work highlights
- Advising the Lagos State Government on the Lagos Metro Rail Project, a 37km “Red Line” Lagos Metro Rail Transit construction project.
- Advising Africa Plus Partners (“APP”), on its concession and tolling of the Benin-Asaba Federal Highway.
- Advising Paragon Holdings Limited on the development of a multi-purpose deep seaport in Eruna Ogbotti, with an estimated cost of US$1.5billion.
G. Elias & Co > Firm Profile
We are dedicated to addressing demanding clients’ important legal challenges.
More broadly, we are a leading Nigerian business law firm founded nearly 30 years ago. We have always had an international outlook. If we may say so, we have a reputation for, and an outstanding record of, carrying out critical, innovative and complex work to the highest standards. We have advised on many significant developments in Nigerian business law.
Our practice areas are: mergers, acquisitions, strategic investments, re-organizations, foreign investment, compliance (including environmental, social and governance matters), lendings, derivatives, insolvency, capital markets, litigation, arbitration, “white collar” defence and investigations, tax, intellectual property, competition, data protection and employment law.
Our clients work in many industry sectors: agribusiness, commercial banking, Fintech, investment banking, insurance, private equity, pensions, fund managers, oil and gas, electric power, mining, real estate, construction, infrastructure, healthcare, transport, services, retail and distributorship, commodities, materials, manufacturing (capital goods, consumer goods), trade, technology, telecommunications, media and entertainment.
Our clients are of many nationalities and every size. They range from foremost global multinational enterprises to ambitious, home-grown fledglings. We also serve governments and government-controlled enterprises (we have advised on numerous privatizations) as well as private wealth clients.
We have and maintain complementary contacts in Nigerian business and government circles, and with law firms and lawyers’ organizations in and outside Nigeria. We are a member of Multilaw, a leading global alliance of independent law firms. Multilaw has offices in 100 countries and over 11,000 lawyers.
Main Contacts
Department | Name | Telephone | |
---|---|---|---|
Banking and Finance | Fred Onuobia | fred.onuobia@gelias.com | |
Arbitration | Gbolahan Elias | gbolahan.elias@gelias.com | |
Corporate | Segun Omoregie | segun.omoregie@gelias.com | |
Labour and Employment | Fidelis Adewole | fidelis.adewole@gelias.com | |
Dispute Resolution | Abubakar Anafi | abubakar.anafi@gelias.com | |
Tax | Stephen Chima Arubike | steve.arubike@gelias.com | |
Energy and Natural Resources | Okechukwu Okoro | okechukwu.okoro@gelias.com | |
Intellectual Property | Similoluwa Oyelude | simi.oyelude@gelias.com | |
Capital Markets | Michelle Chikezie | michelle.chikezie@gelias.com |
Lawyer Profiles
Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
---|---|---|---|
Fidelis Adewole | Managing Partner | View Profile | |
Abubakar Anafi | Partner | View Profile | |
Stephen Arubike | Partner | View Profile | |
Michelle Chikezie | Partner | View Profile | |
Prof Gbolahan Elias SAN | Partner | View Profile | |
Okechukwu Okoro | Deputy Managing Partner | View Profile | |
Segun Omoregie | Partner | View Profile | |
Fred Onuobia SAN | Partner | View Profile | |
Similoluwa Oyelude | Partner | View Profile |