Corporate & Commercial Practice
Our team in this practice area, led by 4 Partners offers deep expertise in all types of Corporate finance transactions owing to its involvement in a number of high-profile transactions involving local, international and multinational corporates. Consequently, the ALF corporate finance team at the ESQ Nigerian Legal Awards emerged Banking and Finance Team of the years 2019 and 2021. This practice area focuses on providing legal advisory services on banking, financing and refinancing transactions, infrastructure finance, project finance, and asset finance. Our lawyers have garnered extensive experience in specialist drafting, negotiating and advising on a whole range of Corporate financing
SELECTED INDICATIVE EXPERIENCE
- Advised the funding entity on a $ 1.95 billion secured financing in connection with the development and production of an oil mining lease under a Financing and Technical Services Agreement.
- Advised a Client on its US $640 Million Senior Secured Medium Term Facility restructuring.
- Advised Emerging Markets Telecommunication Services (“9Mobile”) on its circa USD $400 Million senior secured facility from the Africa Finance Corporation.
- Advised a conglomerate on its US$400 million real estate tower project in Victoria Island, Lagos.
- Advised a Client on its US$ 250 Million Syndicated Facilities Refinancing.
- Advised an indigenous conglomerate in connection with the negotiation of a US$242m facility from a Nigerian bank.
- Advised a London-based Bank on a US$225 million facility to a Nigerian borrower for the acquisition of a jack-up rig from Asia.
- Advised a London based Bank on the lending of the sum of US$80 million to an EPC contractor in Nigeria for a pipeline project.
- Acted as legal advisers to a London-based bank in connection with US$40 million finance to FidelityBank Plc.
- Acted as legal advisers to Dansa Foods Limited, a subsidiary company of the Dangote Group, in connection with a US$40 million finance facility from African Export-Import Bank.
- Advised Heritage Bank Company Limited in connection with its N3.6 Billion project finance facility for the building of an Independent Power Plant in Nigeria.
- Advised a Delaware based green energy fund on its $8.5 million bridge facility to a renewable & hybrid energy service provider company in Nigeria.
- Advised a fund established in the Cayman Islands on its proposed investment of up to US$ 1 million in a company incorporated in Mauritius, which loan is to be utilised by the company’s Nigerian subsidiar
Alliance Law Firm (“ALF”) is a leading commercial law firm with offices located in Lagos, Abuja and Port- Harcourt, with nine partners, over 40 lawyers and a host of support professionals including certified Iaw professionals, managers and accountants, working cohesively to serve ALF’s select clientele which of course over a 20-year practice period has grown to include sector leading corporations, multinationals, governmental agencies, and international organisations. ALF is a registered capital market law firm with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) with five members of its team also registered with SEC as Sponsored Individuals and compliance officers. The ALF Capital Market Team is made up of 8 lawyers led by the Managing Partner Uche Val Obi, SAN, FCIArb who has been described as a top Lawyer by Chambers and Partners. Similarly, IFLR described Uche as a Leading Lawyer in High Demand. Following the ALF Capital Markets team’s contribution to the development of Capital Markets law in Nigeria, Uche in 2014, for a term of 2 years was elected as the Chairman of the Capital Market Solicitors Association (CMSA) an umbrella body of over 100 law firms in Nigeria advising on Capital Markets transactions In addition, Uche together with Albert .A. Adu , a partner in the ALF Capital Markets Team participated member and researcher respectively. As a result Uche in 2019 was formally recognised by SEC for his contributions to the development of the Nigerian Capital Market.
SELECTED INDICATIVE EXPERIENCE
● Advised the Federal Government (Debt Management Office) of Nigeria as Solicitor to the Issuer in respect of its Series 3, N150 Billion issuances of a non-interest financing instrument (Sukuk) in the domestic debt market.
● Advised the Federal Government (Debt Management Office) of Nigeria as Solicitor to the Issuer in respect of its Series 2, N100 Billion issuances of a non-interest financing instrument (Sukuk) in the domestic debt market.
● Advised the Federal Government (Debt Management Office) of Nigeria as Solicitor to the Issuer in respect of its Series 1, N100 Billion issuances of a non-interest financing instrument (Sukuk) in the domestic debt market.
● Advised a Nigerian fund capitalized at N100 Billion Naira in the raising of an additional US$500 Million from international investor.
● Advised Stanbic IBTC Trustees Limited and Leadway Capital and Trust Limited on the establishment of the N50 Billion Bond Issuance and N10 Billion Series 1 12% Fixed Rate Subordinated Unsecured Bonds due 2027 Programme by Nova Merchant Bank Limited.
● Advised as Transaction Counsel in connection with the establishment of the N50 Billion Commercial Paper Issuance Programme by Nova Merchant Bank Limited.
● Advised PAC Trustees Limited and Vetiva Trustees Limited in respect of the secured N50 Billion Bond Issuance Programme by TAK Agro PLC an agricultural infrastructure company and the N15 Billion Series 1 Bond Issuance .
● Advised ARM Trustees, FBN Quest Trustees, Stanbic IBTC Trustees and United Capital Trustees on the N41,213,000,000 Series 1 Bond Issuance Programme by Fidelity Bank PLC.
● Advised as Solicitor to the Issuer on the N30 Billion Bond Issuance Programme and Issuance of N20 Billion Series 1 Bonds by Depthwize Energy Services Limited.
● Advised Osun State Government as Solicitors to the Issuer in the restructuring of a N30 Billion Vanilla Bond and a N11 Billion Sukuk Al-Ijarah.
● Acted as legal advisers to the Ekiti State Government on its N15 Billion Bond Issuance for Ekiti State Infrastructure Finance.
● Advised Stanbic IBTC Trustees Limited in the establishment of the N15 Billion Bond Issuance Programme by Eat and Go Limited and its N11 Million Series 1 Bond Issuance.
● Advised the Security Trustee on the N13 Billion refinancing of the Series 2 residential mortgage-backed securities by the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria.
● Advised as Transaction Counsel in connection with the establishment of the N10 Billion Commercial Paper Issuance Programme by Guinness Nigeria PLC.
● Advised Leadway Assurance Company Limited on the US$500,000 Loan Notes issued by Green Africa Airways, a subsidiary of Green White Group Limited.
● Advised a Microfinance Bank on the N200 Million unsecured loan notes issuance to investors to shore up its Tier 2 Capital.
● Advised several international investment banks and financing corporations on the legal treatment of derivatives in Nigeria (including Credit Suisse, HSBC PLC, Morgan Stanley, ING, Societe Generale; and Mitsubishi Securities).
● Advised SEPLAT petroleum development company Plc in relation to its $500 Million USD dual listing on the London and Nigerian stock exchange
● Acted for Nestoil Plc, on its N45 Billion private placement.
● Advised Abia State, on the issuance of N30 Billion fixed rate infrastructure bond.
● Advised the Trustee of the Transcorp Hotels Plc N30 Billion medium term fixed rate bond programme together with its N10 Billion series 1 bond issuance under the said bond programme.
● Advised on the N28 Billion Nigerian Mortgage Refinance Company.
● Advised on the N25 Billion Niger state approved private bond Tranche 1 & 2 programme.
● Advised Infracredit , a ‘AAA’ rated specialized infrastructure credit guarantee institution, in its guarantee of GPC SPV Company Plc’s (“GPC-SPV”) N20.0 billion 10-years Series 1 Senior Guaranteed Fixed Rate Infrastructure Bond due 2031 (the “GPC series 1 Bond”) under the N50 billion Debt Issuance Programme.
● Advised capital oil, on its N6 Billion Private Placement transaction.
● Advised Globe Reinsurance Plc, on its N5.1 Billion private placement.
● Advised Naturelle Extracts Plc, on its bond flotation of N5 billion.
● Advised Crusader Insurance Nigeria Plc, on its hybrid public offer targeted at raising about N3.5 Billion Naira.
● Advised Pan Africa Capital Asset Management limited on the issuance of a number of collective investment schemes such as but not limited to the N 500 Million PACAM fixed income fund, $1 Million
● PACAM Eurobond fund, and the N500Million PACAM Money Market Fund.
● Advised ACB International Bank Plc on its N20 Billion equity raising.
● Advised 11 PLC (formerly Mobil Oil Nigeria Plc) on its voluntary delisting of 360,595,261 ordinary shares from the main board of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.
● Advised NOLCHEM on its public offer for sale of 20% , and sale to core investors of 51%, of the shares of the company under the first phase of privatization in 2000.