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5/11/2026
REGULATING FINTECH AND DIGITAL LENDING PLATFORMS IN NIGERIA: LEGAL FRAMEWORKS AND ENFORCEMENT TRENDS
There has been an increasing proliferation of financial technology (FinTech) companies in Nigeria since the COVID-19 pandemic. Many Nigerians, particularly low-income earners, have significantly shown inclination towards digital lending platforms as easily accessible funding systems than traditional banks.
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4/27/2026
Fintech Licensing Passporting in Africa: Opportunities, Challenges, and Scaling Across African Markets
On February 25, 2025, during the Inclusive FinTech Forum, the Bank of Ghana and the National Bank of Rwanda signed Africa’s first fintech licence-passporting agreement: a pact allowing startups licensed in either country to operate in both markets without starting from scratch.
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4/13/2026
Why Getting Legal Services Should Be Easy as Ride-Hailing
Hailing a cab followed the age-old cab rank structure or random chance encounters. This posed some level of difficulty, not because drivers did not exist, but because there was no direct and efficient connection between passengers and cabs. Ride-hailing platforms changed that by creating access, structure, and predictability. Transportation did not become less important; it simply became easier to reach.
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3/9/2026
Cross-Border Data Risks Foreign Platforms Must Not Ignore
Now, cross-border data transfers and user privacy obligations are under the scrutiny of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission, making data compliance a business imperative rather than an afterthought.
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3/2/2026
Advance Money Is Not Income: The Legal Trap Artists Walk Into
While some artists break through quickly, most operate in the industry for several years before securing a record deal, that is, if they ever do.
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2/16/2026
Legal Mistakes That Kill Startups Before They Scale
According to multiple analyses, roughly 90% of startups fail at some point in their journey. Every startup begins with high hopes and dreams of a launch. However, about 20% shut down within the first year, and roughly 50% will have failed by year five.
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2/9/2026
KENYAS VIRTUAL ASSET SERVICE PROVIDERS ACT, 2025: POLICY EVALUATION AND REGULATORY FRAMEWORK ANALYSIS
The Virtual Asset Service Providers Act, 2025 establishes Kenya's first comprehensive legal framework for the licensing, regulation, supervision, and enforcement of virtual asset activities
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2/2/2026
Intellectual Property in Nollywood
Intellectual property law exists to protect creativity and innovation by granting creators exclusive rights to use, control, license, and commercially benefit from their works for a defined period.
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1/26/2026
Beyond Crude: Strategic Diversification for Tank Farm Owners in the Dangote Refinery Era
The commissioning of the Dangote Refinery marks a watershed moment for Nigeria's downstream energy sector. For decades, a significant part of the industry was built around the logistics of importing refined petroleum products.
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1/19/2026
THE ROLE OF WITNESS DEMEANOUR DURING TRIAL
Witness demeanour plays a significant role during trial because it influences how judges assess credibility and reliability. A witness who appears composed, consistent, and responsive under questioning may be perceived as more truthful, while a witness who appears evasive, hesitant, or overly anxious may be viewed with suspicion. This is why the trial court is traditionally regarded as best placed to make credibility findings, having the advantage of seeing and hearing the witness firsthand and observing their tone, expressions, and manner of answering questions. At the same time, demeanour must be approached with caution: nervousness, fear, or hesitation may reflect the stress of cross-examination rather than dishonesty, and confidence may not necessarily correlate with truthfulness. For that reason, a sound assessment requires the judge to test demeanour-based impressions against the totality of the evidence, consistency, probabilities, and any corroborating facts, so that credibility findings are anchored in the record rather than mere appearance.
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1/12/2026
Corporate Governance For Startups
In 2025, we witnessed a lot of startup failures and lapses linked directly to a failure of corporate governance. A lot of founder actions bordering on misappropriation of funds, particularly investor funds led to the failures of these startups.
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1/7/2026
How to Secure an Oil Bloc in the Nigeria 2025 Licensing Round: Guide to Strategic Bidding
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (the “Commission”) has launched the Nigeria 2025 Licensing Round, commencing from December 1, 2025, offering 50 high-value oil and gas blocks presenting a strategic opportunity to acquire Petroleum Prospecting Licences (PPLs).
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11/27/2025
Startup Laws in Africa: Insights from the Nigerian and Kenyan Startup Acts
The Nigerian Startup Act was signed into law on October 19, 2022, the Act represents a major step in filling the lacuna in society and creating an enabling legal, regulatory, and institutional environment for technology-enabled startups.
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11/24/2025
NERC Issues New Strict Rules for Electricity BillCollection in Nigeria: What It Means for DisCos, Fintechs & Payment Agents
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has rolled out a major compliance overhaul that will reshape how electricity payments are collected nationwide.
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11/18/2025
Landmark Court Ruling Reinforces ARCON's Power Over ALL Advertising Media in Nigeria
The Federal High Court in Lagos delivered a landmark ruling affirming that the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) has full legal authority to regulate advertising across all media platforms, including traditional media such as print and broadcast, as well as digital and social media.
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11/17/2025
Registration and Protection of Fashion Designs in Nigeria: A Legal Overview.
It is important that fashion designers be aware of the protection avenues available to them for their creations, the way it is the norm in other creative industries.
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11/4/2025
50 New Tax Exemptions and Reliefs to Support Workers, Small Businesses, and Startups (Effective January 1, 2026)
The reforms are designed to reduce the financial burden on low-income earners, SMEs, and startups, while encouraging investment, productivity, and economic inclusion across sectors.
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8/18/2025
NCC Introduces Cooling-Off Rule for Former Senior Officials to Protect Telecom Integrity
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has rolled out a landmark policy under its Corporate Governance Guidelines 2025 that imposes a mandatory cooling-off period before former senior officials can work with telecom operators
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8/13/2025
Lagos State Flags 176 Illegal Estate Developments - 21 Days to Comply
The Lagos State Government has declared 176 estate developments illegal for failing to obtain mandatory layout approvals and has issued a 21-day ultimatum to their promoters to regularise documentation.
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8/11/2025
10 Pitfalls of Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Wills
A Will can be defined as a voluntary testamentary instrument made, executed and attested to in accordance with the provisions of the law by which a person makes a deposition of his property (real and personal).
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8/6/2025
What Every Business Owner Should Know About Enforcement Under Nigeria's Data Protection Act (NDPA 2023)
In today's data-driven economy, businesses in Nigeria must understand that personal data isn't just an asset, it's a liability if mishandled. The Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) 2023 sets out a clear and enforceable framework for how businesses collect, store, and process personal data.
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8/4/2025
Judicial Remedies for Erroneous Transfers in Nigeria: A Critical Review of the Lagos State Experience.
Erroneous transfers where funds are mistakenly sent to the wrong account or in the wrong amount are an increasingly common phenomenon in Nigeria, particularly in Lagos State, which serves as the commercial nerve center of the country.
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7/2/2025
The FTX Recovery Process: Harsh Lessons, Global Gaps & What Comes Next.
The FTX saga is more than a financial story; it's a lesson in global asset recovery, regulatory preparedness, and the rights of crypto users everywhere. As Terraform Labs embarks on its recovery, the FTX case serves as a crucial blueprint for what must be done better.
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6/23/2025
SEC Issues Directive on Board Tenure & Transmutation of Independent Directors
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued a new circular targeting public companies and capital market operators, particularly those of significant public interest. The circular introduces stricter director tenure and corporate governance rules, effective immediately.
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6/20/2025
Nigeria Launches National Payment Stack (NPS): A New Era for Instant Payments
The Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) has launched the National Payment Stack (NPS): a transformative digital payment platform designed to modernize and future-proof Nigeria's financial ecosystem. This new infrastructure builds on the success of NIBSS Instant Payments (NIP), first introduced 14 years ago, and brings cutting-edge capabilities to real-time digital transactions.
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6/11/2025
SEC Circular-Transition to T+2 Settlement Cycle in Nigerian Capital Market
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced a key structural reform: migrating the Nigerian equities market to a T+2 (Trade Date + 2 days) settlement cycle, effective November 28, 2025. This change follows a comprehensive market review and consultations with industry stakeholders.
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6/9/2025
DIY Due Diligence for Crypto Investors: Lessons from the CBEX Scheme
Retail investors remain the most frequent victims of fraudulent investment schemes, particularly in the rapidly evolving world of cryptocurrency. Many of these schemes use official-looking documentation and government registrations to create a false appearance of legitimacy.
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6/4/2025
Lagos Tenancy Law Remains Unchanged
Housing has become a growing problem in Nigeria, especially in Lagos, where renting an apartment means breaking the bank with ridiculous demands as to agency, legal fees, and collection of more than one year's rent.
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5/23/2025
CBN's Exposure Draft - "Baseline Standards for Automated AML Solutions
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has issued an Exposure Draft on Baseline Standards for Automated Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Solutions. This draft sets minimum requirements for financial institutions deploying technology-based AML systems.
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4/14/2022
Pitfalls of DIY Wills
A Will can be defined as a voluntary testamentary instrument made, executed and attested to in accordance with the provisions of the law by which a person makes a deposition of his property (real and personal).
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4/14/2022
Trust as a tool for Asset Management and Protection
As a man climbs the social ladder, he can decide to acquire various assets mostly for improved lifestyle during his existence and legacy either for his future generation or other persons, organisation or charity.
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4/14/2022
Succession to digital Assets (PART 1)
Historically, succession practice has two broad types of properties: (1) tangible property, which includes personal and real property, and (2) intangible property, which includes accounts, stocks, and bonds.
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4/14/2022
Succession to digital Assets (PART 2)
The relationship between online service providers and their users is generally governed by a contract commonly referred to as the 'user agreement,' 'terms of use,' or 'terms of service.'
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6/6/2022
Legal Tech
The growth in technology has changed every aspect of our lives, from how we communicate to how we work and the legal industry is no exception.
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8/8/2022
Startups and Startup Advising
From sole founders with no team, to some of the most prominent tech companies in the world, the term “start-up” seems broad and vague.
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8/8/2022
Intellectual Property and Data Protection
It is not uncommon for people to own various physical assets like houses, cars, paintings and artefacts.
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8/8/2022
An Overview of SEC’s New Rules on Issuance, Offering Platforms, and Custody of Digital Assets
These Proposed Rules indicate the SEC’s intention to commence the regulation of the digital assets space in Nigeria, which has until now been unregulated, save for the occasional circulars issued by the Central Banks of Nigeria prohibiting banks from facilitating cryptocurrency transactions.
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9/5/2022
Compliance 1 (Corporate)
Compliance refers to how a company is following both its internal corporate structure and all the laws and regulations that apply to its business or industry.
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9/5/2022
Compliance 2 (Regulatory and Data Protection)
Startups are inadvertently part of a complex regulatory and public policy ecosystem. This ecosystem is larger and more powerfully dynamic than many founders appreciate, Where startup founders see an opportunity for disruption in regulated markets, we advise that a level of caution is exercised as regulations exist to promote certain public policy objectives which carry the force of law.
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10/3/2022
Compliance 3 (KYC&AML)
Having regard to the safety of the users and due to the legal requirements, it is important to implement and start to use a KYC policy (customer’s identification), and possibly AML/CTF policy (combating money-laundering and terrorist financing).
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11/7/2022
Protecting Intellectual Property Rights of Software in Nigeria
Nigerian Law provides for Intellectual Property Protection for Copyrights, Trademarks, Patents and Designs. The recognized forms of protection available for Intellectual Property rights in software are under two major laws.
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