New NBA-SBL Chairman Sets Out Plan to Modernise Nigeria’s Business Law Practice
Baba Alokolaro has begun his 20262028 tenure as NBA-SBL chairman with a push to modernise Nigerian business-law practice, align transaction standards with global technology and ESG developments, and prepare younger lawyers for a rapidly changing commercial landscape.
A New Direction for Business Law
Nigeria’s business-law community has a new leader, and his opening message is less about changing the name on the door than changing how the profession operates behind it.
Baba Alokolaro has assumed office as the 10th chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Business Law, beginning a two-year tenure that will run from 2026 to 2028.
Sworn in during the NBA’s 66th Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt on August 27, Alokolaro takes over from Ozofu ‘Latunde Ogiemudia, under whom he served as vice chairman for two years.
His central argument is straightforward: Nigerian business law is at an “inflection point.”
For Alokolaro, modernisation means bringing the way Nigerian lawyers structure and execute transactions closer to global developments in technology and environmental, social and governance standards, while ensuring that younger lawyers are prepared to participate in that transformation.
That is a significant agenda for a section whose work sits at the intersection of law, business, regulation and investment.
The Lawyer Is No Longer Practising in the Same Business World
The commercial environment lawyers advise on is changing rapidly.
Technology is transforming transactions and the way businesses operate. ESG considerations are increasingly influencing investment decisions and corporate governance. Capital is becoming more sensitive to regulatory certainty, risk management and the credibility of the legal systems supporting commercial activity.
For Nigerian business lawyers, that means technical knowledge of statutes and case law is only one part of the equation.
The modern commercial lawyer increasingly needs to understand the technology behind transactions, the regulatory environment surrounding them and the wider expectations of investors and businesses operating across borders.
This is the challenge embedded in Alokolaro’s agenda.
The NBA-SBL chairman says the section intends not only to modernise existing practice but also to bring younger lawyers into the transition rather than allowing the benefits of the transformation to remain concentrated among established practitioners.
That emphasis could prove important.
A profession can modernise its templates, transaction standards and professional systems, but if the next generation of practitioners is not trained to work within that new environment, the reform risks becoming temporary rather than structural.
From Legal Advice to Investment Confidence
There is another part of the new chairman’s agenda that deserves attention.
Alokolaro wants the NBA-SBL to have greater influence on investment and regulatory issues across the region.
That ambition reflects a broader reality: business lawyers are not merely observers of Nigeria’s investment climate.
They are part of the machinery through which investors encounter the country.
A transaction may begin with an investment decision. Still, its success can depend on the quality of legal advice, regulatory clarity, contractual certainty, dispute-resolution mechanisms, and institutions' ability to enforce commercial rights.
When those systems work well, lawyers become part of the infrastructure that gives businesses confidence.
When they do not, legal uncertainty can become a cost of doing business.
Alokolaro’s stated objective is therefore bigger than professional development. He wants the standard of Nigerian business-law practice itself to contribute to how investors perceive the country.
That places a considerable responsibility on the NBA-SBL.
It means the section's influence cannot be measured only by conferences, seminars or publications. Its relevance will increasingly depend on whether it can contribute meaningfully to conversations around investment, regulation and the commercial rules shaping Nigeria's economy.
The Test Will Be What Changes in Practice
The new administration has inherited an institution with an established history.
The NBA-SBL was founded in 2004 and has served as a platform for business-law policy, professional development and engagement among lawyers, government, regulators and the private sector.
Alokolaro also brings substantial commercial-law experience, including work in corporate finance, capital markets, infrastructure, private equity and mergers and acquisitions, alongside experience spanning sectors such as power, transportation, manufacturing, financial services and technology.
The credentials are there.
The question now is execution.
Can the NBA-SBL help Nigerian lawyers meet the demands of technology-driven transactions without leaving smaller practices and younger lawyers behind?
Can it contribute to a regulatory environment that is sufficiently predictable to attract and retain investment?
Can ESG move from a global business-law concept into practical standards that Nigerian companies and their advisers can actually apply?
And perhaps most importantly, can the section ensure that its modernisation agenda reaches beyond the largest commercial law firms?
These questions will ultimately determine whether the new chairman's “inflection point” becomes a genuine turning point.
For now, Alokolaro has set the direction: modernise the practice, strengthen the profession's influence on investment and regulation, and prepare the next generation for what commercial law is becoming.
The next two years will show whether Nigeria's business-law community can turn that vision into a new standard of practice.
Was this story helpful?
Responses (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.