Azeezah Muse-Sadiq

Azeezah Muse-Sadiq is a partner in the law firm of Banwo & Ighodalo. She co-leads the Firm’s Corporate, Securities and Finance Practice. Her core practice area includes Capital Markets, Competition Law, Islamic Finance, Taxation, Corporate Restructuring, Mergers & Acquisitions. She is often invited to facilitate trainings and has co-authored articles. 

Our diversity policy demonstrates our un-biased commitment to gender equality. The Firm is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to recognising, recruiting, rewarding and retaining the most talented people regardless of race, gender, disability, or social class. Of the eighty (80) lawyers at the Firm, forty-five (45) are female, and of the twelve (12) Partners at the Firm, six (6) are women. Notwithstanding the admission of three new partners (one female and two males) effective May 1, 2021, the leadership structure of the firm still assures that the female gender is ably represented. In this regard, the Chief Operating Officer of the Firm and the Head of Human Resources are females.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic which led employees at many firms to begin to work from home, the Firm was already an industry pioneer in encouraging flexible working hours and adopting a work from home policy for nursing mothers. The foregoing, we believe, is an accurate reflection of the Firm’s unparalleled commitment to ensuring that women receive the requisite support to build rewarding and exceptional legal careers at the Firm.

The Firm celebrates the International Women’s Day with activities geared at promoting and show casing the female talents in the firm. In addition, there is a B&I Ladies Club, comprising female mentors from Partnership and senior associate levels that mentor, coach and provide support to female employees within the firm.

The Firm provides equal access to opportunities, resources and information to all employees regardless of gender whilst promotion within the Firm is strictly based on merit and performance.

To ensure a more inclusive environment for our women, we ensure the following:

• Continuous monitoring and evaluation of gender equality in the workplace.
• Promote policies on equal treatment.
• No discrimination in conditions of employment, work distribution and benefits.
• Transparent recruitment practices
• Inclusion in key leadership positions in the Firm.
• Supporting women with family-friendly workplace practices such as reduction in work hours after maternity leave, flexible work arrangements, etc.
• A women-focused employee group to empower our women to reach the highest rank of their career.

• Advised Fidelity Bank PLC in relation to the establishment of a N100,000,000,000 Bond issuance programme by Fidelity Bank PLC and the issuance of series one bonds in the sum of N41,213,000,000. The transaction is a landmark achievement in the Nigerian domestic debt market being the largest corporate bonds ever issued by a Nigerian Bank including the deposit money banks and merchant banks.
• Advised UACN Property Development Company Limited (“UPDC”) in relation to the unbundling of its interest in the UPDC Real Estate Investment Trust to its shareholders via a scheme of arrangement. The transaction was undertaken as a scheme of arrangement pursuant to Section 715 of the Companies and Allied Matters Act No. 3 of 2020 (as amended), incorporating a reduction in share capital under section 131 of CAMA. The transaction was complex because the deal structuring involved considerations of the impact of the unbundling on UPDC’s assets vis a vis its liabilities and the consequential reduction in share capital to cover the difference in the company’s books. In addition, because the court ordered meeting was held during the lock down, the regulator wanted to ensure that a significant number of shareholders was carried along. Voting was conducted through proxy and via USSD.
• Advised Dangote Cement PLC in connection with the establishment of the Share Buyback Programme (“Programme”) of up to 10% of the Company’s issued share capital and the execution of the first tranche under the Programme. The first tranche involved the repurchase of 40,200,000 (Forty Million, Two Hundred Thousand) shares representing 0.24% of the issued share capital and valued at N9,769,478,307.80 (Nine Billion, Seven Hundred and Sixty-Nine Million, Four Hundred and Seventy-Eight Thousand, Three Hundred and Seven Naira, Eighty Kobo). This deal was complex because it is the first share buyback programme approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and undertaken in Nigeria. The transaction required extensive engagement with the SEC because of the SEC’s position that a share buyback cannot be initiated by the Company via an order of court. We approached the court for an interpretation of the provisions of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (now repealed) on share buy-back and the Court agreed with our submissions on the correct interpretation of the share buy-back provisions and granted an order for the Company to establish the Programme subject to the approval of the shareholders (which was thereafter sought and obtained). Furthermore, given that a new law was enacted after the establishment of the Programme but prior to the launch of the first tranche, we had to engage the regulators on the applicable regime for the 1st tranche.

• Capital markets: Debt
• Capital markets: Equity
• Corporate restructuring
• Islamic finance
• M&A
• Competition 
• Tax 

• Banking
• Financial services
• Food and beverage
• Government and public policy
• Insurance
• Pharmaceutical 
• Agriculture

• Nigerian Bar Association
• Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria
• Chartered Institute of Investments and Securities UK

• (LL.B) University of Lagos (1998- 2004)
• (B.L) Nigerian Law School (2004-2005)
• PG Dip in EU Competition Law (in view)