Chidera completed her LLM at Swansea in 2016 with a Distinction grade. She started her legal career in the Corporate and Commercial team of a full service law firm, in Lagos, Nigeria.
Chidera currently works as a Senior Associate in an Investment Bank (Planet Capital Limited). She provides legal advice and support to the Corporate Finance team particularly in M&A deals and Debt capital raising transactions.
I would consider my time in Swansea University as one of the reasons for my success today as an IP
lawyer. European and International Intellectual Property Law was one of my courses during my masters
program in International Commercial and Maritime Law 2009-2010, I returned home in 2011 and joined
the IP department of Aluko and Oyebode, a leading law firm in Nigeria where I spent 8 years as an IP
Associate and Senior Associate. I went on to set up my own law firm NECS – Legal in 2021 which is a
boutique law firm specializing in all IP matters in Nigeria. I have received many awards in IP including
being named by the World IP Review as an IP leader in Nigeria for 3 years in a row, 2022, 2023, 2024.
Captain Bakari is following a sea-going career, on various types of ships and lines of trade, and is now a Senior Marine Pilot at Kenya Ports Authority. He also works for TransAfrica Maritime Consultant Group as a principal consultant in charge of maritime audits and surveys on Quality, Health, Safety, Security and Environment (QHSSE) and is responsible for the implementation of IMO conventions and global maritime industry standards.
He has recently been appointed to the National Standing Committee on Marine Standards at Kenya Bureau of Standards, mandated to develop national marine industry standards in compliance with national and international regulations and industry standards.
Haruna Samuel Baba is a Nigerian trained lawyer. After practicing his profession in Nigeria for some time, he decided to specialise his practice in an area of law he fell in love with over the years, which is commercial and maritime law. He set out to achieve this feat at Swansea University, and as a result has added to his reservoir of knowledge and experience. He currently practices law at Aliyu Ahmed and Associates, in Abuja, Nigeria.
Tiwalade obtained his LLM in International Commercial and Maritime Law in 2011. He was recently promoted to Head of the Corporate and Commercial Section of Paul C. Ananaba [SAN] and Associates, where he was previously working as Associate Counsel. In his job, he drafts all corporate, commercial and maritime briefs. Tiwalade also deals with importation of foreign capital for some of the firm’s international clients, as well as initial public offerings. He also ensures that all his corporate clients adhere to all Corporate Affairs Commission regulations and the pertinent tax regulations.
Steve graduated with an LLM in International Commercial and Maritime Law in 2013. He is currently working as Head, Regional Legal Services, Legal Services Group at Heritage Bank Limited in Lagos, Nigeria. Steve supervises the regional legal offices across the country and advises, prepares and reviews documentations for specialized securities in credit transactions, particularly Vessel Mortgage, Rig Mortgage and Aircraft Mortgage. He also provides comprehensive legal advice on credit transactions to the various Branches of the Bank. He monitors the regional litigations schedules and ensures pro-active litigation management.
Zainab graduated with an LLM in International Commercial and Maritime Law in 2011. She is employed as In-House Counsel by the Nigerian Export Import Bank – NEXIM, having previously worked for ETK Consulting as Head of Legal Administration and as Research Officer for the Royal Bank of Scotland. In her current role, she works with a team of experts responsible for rendering legal advice, drafting and vetting legal documentations on behalf of the bank. Zainab is also responsible for projects relating to the Collaterisation of Intellectual Asset Management and Transactions and she makes good use of the knowledge she acquired while studying the Law of Intellectual Assets Management & Transactions module at Swansea.
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Adedoyin is the Chair and Partner in charge of Bloomfield Law’s Aviation & Logistics, Corporate, Finance & Securities, and Shipping & Oil Services Practice Groups. He has considerable experience in asset management & private equity, aviation & logistics, banking and corporate finance, commercial litigation and arbitration, project finance, shipping & oil services, real estate & construction and general corporate and commercial law.
Adedoyin is also recommended in The Legal500 (2018 Rankings) as ‘a strong choice for legal support in the shipping and transport sector’ in Nigeria.
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Oluseyi graduated with an LL.M in International Commercial and Maritime Law (with Merit) in 2009. She returned to Nigeria and her job as a Counsel at Olatunde Adejuyigbe & Co, a foremost Commercial Law Firm in Nigeria.
Her practice areas include Commercial transactions,Client advisory and consulting on Maritime related issues and Maritime arbitration and litigation.
In 2015, Oluseyi was made the Managing Partner of Olatunde Adejuyigbe & Co in Lagos, Nigeria.
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Olabode, who completed his LLM at Swansea University in 2007, is a Managing Partner for Wole Olanipekun & Co. His experience include domestic and cross border commercial disputes and disputes relating to constitutional and statutory interpretation. He has also played significant roles in many intricate pre and post election disputes including acting as lead counsel for the elected candidate both at the Nigerian Court of Appeal and Supreme Court in the challenge to 2015 Governorship election in Lagos State (the commercial capital of Nigeria). He advised on the acquisition of the largest locally owned vessel for subsea Oil and Gas operations in sub-Saharan Africa. Olabode was formally sworn in as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria in September 2018, making him the youngest holder of the rank in Nigeria.
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Having my LLM in International Commercial and Maritime Law at Swansea University was one of the best experiences in my academic life. The teaching exceeded excellence – the Professors (who maintained both a professional and cordial/friendly relationship) were simply amazing, going the extra mile to ensure the academic experience was worth the journey. The coursework experiences remain invaluable – helping me hone my research skills and this has ferried me on the job during my time at Banwo & Ighodalo (Associate in Shipping, Aviation and International Trade) and now as I head Legal and Compliance at Zedcrest Capital Limited. In Swansea, I earned a degree, made friends (with both locals and people from different parts of the world) and ultimately found a home away from home.
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Before my year at Swansea University I worked as an associate lawyer in Akabogu & Associates, a leading maritime law firm based in Lagos, Nigeria. As such, I had thought that undertaking the LLM in International Maritime Law would merely be a rehearsed routine. Obviously, it wasn’t! The LLM programme presented quite a challenge, but it provided students with a diverse, extensive and thorough understanding of international maritime law. Apart from that, the quality of knowledge shown by the academic faculty was second-to-none, depicting both a commercial insight of the shipping market and a perfect understanding of maritime jurisprudence. I am indeed proud to be part of such a thriving community with a stellar reputation. The knowledge gained from the faculty spurred me into seeking more challenging opportunities in the shipping industry. I currently manage the firm’s marine cargo claims programme which is designed and structured on the knowledge I gained at Swansea.
