Team size: 32 legal, governance, compliance and secretariat professionals 

Jurisdictions covered: Nigeria, United Kingdom, United States (transactional and capital markets interfaces only) 

What are the most significant cases or transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?

Over the past year, my legal team has been central to several high-impact corporate, regulatory and capital markets developments in Nigeria’s energy sector.

Most notably, we delivered end-to-end legal, regulatory and governance leadership for the integration of ExxonMobil’s shallow-water business in Nigeria following Seplat Energy’s transformational US$800 million acquisition in 2024. This involved transferring a 56-year-old major offshore producing asset portfolio into Seplat Energy, transitioning governance from a US to a UK public company framework, and navigating extensive Nigerian regulatory approvals, Federal Government alignment, host community obligations and international financing considerations. The integration delivered immediate and measurable value to Seplat Energy, including an 86% increase in oil and gas reserves and a 204% increase in revenue, based on Seplat’s nine-month 2025 interim financial results.

In parallel, my legal team supported multiple capital markets and financing initiatives, including a US$650 million Eurobond refinancing on the London Stock Exchange, which improved Seplat’s net debt-to-EBITDA profile and extended the maturity of its US$350 million revolving credit facility. We also advised on the restructuring of a USD$150 million reserve-based lending facility, contributing to a 21% reduction in Seplat’s gross debt.

A particularly significant achievement was the team’s delivery of a robust legal and regulatory framework supporting emission reduction projects under Seplat’s End of Routine Flaring programme. This resulted in the shutdown of routine gas flares at the Oben Gas Plant, Seplat’s largest gas processing facility, and a 59% reduction in onshore gas flare emissions as of September 2025, marking a major ESG and emissions reduction milestone.

What role does corporate counsel play in strengthening corporate governance in light of Nigeria’s recent reforms and stakeholder expectations? 

The corporate counsel role in Nigeria now sits at the heart of enterprise stewardship and is no longer a back-office function that simply rubber-stamps corporate decisions.

Nigeria’s corporate and governance landscape is evolving rapidly, and this has fundamentally changed what boards expect from their in-house lawyers. They expect corporate counsel to go beyond interpreting the law and avoiding risk. Boards increasingly look to corporate counsel for sound judgement, perspective, and guidance on how to navigate change responsibly. In practical terms, this means helping businesses bridge the gap between regulatory requirements and commercial reality, ensuring compliance while supporting growth and agility. It also involves proactive engagement with regulators and industry groups in order to understand reforms early, advocate best practice, and position the business for compliance rather than reacting after the fact.

Stakeholder expectations are also evolving. Investors, regulators, employees, and communities now expect visible demonstrations of transparency, integrity, and institutional discipline. Corporate counsel drives these critical values and supports boards and management in embedding them into everyday decision-making.

At Seplat Energy, governance is treated as a strategic asset, with the Legal team working closely with the business to ensure that governance frameworks are compliant, resilient, and capable of supporting disciplined growth. This approach strengthens our reputation, access to capital, and long-term licence to operate.

How do you advise on cross-border transactions and foreign investment, given Nigeria’s complex regulatory and dispute-resolution landscape? 

Advising on cross-border transactions in Nigeria requires a careful balance of legal precision, regulatory diplomacy, and commercial judgement.

My approach is proactive rather than reactive. At the initial structuring stage of any foreign investment or cross-border transaction, we conduct a holistic assessment of the transaction structure, key regulatory and governmental approvals, potential conflicts or overlaps of law, dispute and enforcement risk, and critical timelines. This early discipline enables us to structure transactions sensibly, allocate risk appropriately, and mitigate unpleasant surprises later in the deal process.

Another critical factor is stakeholder mapping and engagement. Cross-border transactions invariably involve multiple regulators and authorities, often with overlapping or competing requirements that can affect deal closure and timelines. Stakeholder misalignment or late engagement is one of the quickest ways to undermine a transaction. It is therefore essential to identify and engage key stakeholders early, maintain open and constructive dialogue with regulators on both sides to align expectations and approvals, and agree a practical pathway to compliance.

I also place particular emphasis on dispute resolution and enforceability at the structuring stage. My objective is to ensure that the governing law, dispute resolution, and enforcement mechanisms are credible to international investors and workable within Nigeria’s legal framework.

Ultimately, my role is to help boards and investors close transactions with confidence by demystifying Nigeria’s complexity and ensuring that cross-border transactions are executable and sustainable over the long term.