Meet 10 Nigeria Richest lawyers
Talking about the richest lawyer in Nigeria, what will come to mind is, who are these people? How much do they earn? All these details will prove that legal practice is an exciting profession that can bring great wealth in just any country of the world. This is why, parents of this generation could spend their last earnings on their wards to see that they go through law school and become a legal practitioner. Some lawyers specialise in corporate practise (small and medium businesses, large corporations), banking debts recovery, criminal defense, property issues, immigration, divorce, public interest, transactions, and many more. Any of these specialisations can bring lots of fortune. Our selection of ‘who is the richest lawyer in Nigeria’ is based on the Law repository and Forbes rankings. Excerpts:
Adewale Tinubu: He is best known as the ‘King of African Oil’ in and outside Nigeria. Even though Adewale’s wealth and success are mainly associated with Oando PLC, he studied law in the UK and worked as an attorney and corporate lawyer. The famous lawyer’s estimated net worth is about 800 million U.S. dollars.
Tijani Babatunde Folawiyo Babatunde: Folawiyo represents the Yinka Folawiyo Group (this company was founded by Tijani’s dad), works for MTN Nigeria (he is the Director of this telecommunications firm), and has reached impressive heights as both a businessman and lawyer. Forbes estimates his net worth as approximately 650-700 million U.S. dollars, which sounds really motivating for all young men and women who wish to become a lawyer.
John Olatunde Ayeni: This is another successful man on our list of top richest lawyers in Nigeria. He combines the job of a lawyer with business and investments, he represents lots of major companies in Nigeria (including Skye Bank, ASO Savings & Loans and OMS). Ayeni’s estimated net worth is reportedly about 600 million U.S. dollars.
Afe Babalola: This successful man is a lawyer, farmer and education specialist. He is the brain behind Afe Babalola University which is one of the biggest private universities in Nigeria. He founded a well-known Nigerian law company. Thanks to all his projects, he has a net worth of approximately 500 million U.S. dollars.
Adewunmi Ogunsanya: Representing numerous companies, this Nigerian man is a good lawyer. He owns Ogunsanya & Ogunsanya, a top level law firm in the country. According to different estimates, Adewunmi net worth is over 250 million U.S. dollars.
Wale Babalakin: Babalakin joined the firm of his esteemed mentor, the legal luminary, Chief Frederick Rotimi Williams, where he worked for one year. He established his own firm, Babalakin and Co, which today is one of the leading law firms in Nigeria, with over 60 lawyers in its Lagos, Abuja and Port-Harcourt offices. Babalakin is the managing partner in the law firm of Babalakin & Co. He is also the chairman of several Nigerian companies. His company built the famous MMA2 in Lagos and was initially granted the contract to reconstruct the Lagos-Ibadan expressway until it was revoked in November 2012. Babalakin is worth an estimated $231 million and is consistently ranked as being one of the richest Nigerians.
Jimoh Ibrahim: He is the founder and chairman of Global Fleet Group. He is also the publisher of Newswatch Magazine and National Mirror Newspaper. He is best known for being a former gubernatorial aspirant in Ondo State. He is worth an estimated $210 Million.
Paul Usoro: Mr. Paul Usoro, SAN, is the Founder and Senior Partner of Paul Usoro & Co. Mr. Usoro is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. He has over 30 years’ experience and is acknowledged as a highly experienced litigator and Nigeria’s foremost communications law expert. He has also worked with the National Assembly in producing the Nigeria Communication Act, 2003. Mr. Usoro has been a Non-Executive Director of PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc since July 15, 2011. He has been a Non-Executive Director at Access Bank Plc since January 2014. He serves on the boards of Airtel Nigeria Limited, Nigeria Bulk Electricity Traders Plc, Marina Securities Limited and Premium Pensions Limited. He also previously represented Access Bank as Non-Executive Director on the Board of Intercontinental Bank in October 2011 following the Bank’s acquisition of the Intercontinental Bank Group. He’s currently the President of the Nigerian Bar and Association (NBA). He is worth an estimated $125 Million.
Wole Olanipekun: Olanipekun is one of the most highly respected lawyer in Nigeria. He has been responsible for several landmark cases in Nigeria. He is a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association and also owns one of the most successful corporate/commercial law firm in the country. Olanipekun was called to the Nigerian bar in 1976 and subsequently attained the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 1991. He is worth an estimated $123 Million.
Gbenga Oyebode: One of the Nigeria’s most renowned commercial lawyers, Gbenga Oyebode is the founder and Managing Partner of Aluko & Oyebode- a successful corporate/commercial law firm in Nigeria. He owns a minority shareholding in MTN Nigeria, and sits on the company’s board. Oyebode is also a former chairman of Access Bank PLC and the current chairman of Okomu Oil and Crusade Insurance. The value of his shareholdings in these companies is worth tens of millions of dollars. He has an estimated net worth of $120 Million. He is qualified to practice in New York and Nigeria.