Law Articles

The Virtual Assets Regulation (CBN 2025 Draft): What’s Coming, and How to Structure a Compliant Crypto Exchange in Nigeria Now Abstract Nigeria has entered a new era for digital assets. The Investments and Securities Act 2025 (ISA 2025) now explicitly recognises virtual assets as securities and vests the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) with statutory authority to license and regulate Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs). At the same time, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), […]

Using Free Trade Zones (FTZs) to Bypass FX Restrictions and Import Duties: A Legal Playbook for Lagos, Calabar, and Kano This article provides a strategic legal guide for using Nigeria’s Free Trade Zones (FTZs), specifically in Lagos, Calabar, and Kano, to legally navigate foreign exchange (FX) restrictions and import duties. It dissects the two primary regulatory regimes, the general FTZ regime under the Nigerian Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA) and the specialized Oil and Gas […]

Your Incineration Clause Just Failed: Drafting Exit Rights Under Nigerian Law That Survive NIPC, SEC, and FIRS Scrutiny The carefully crafted exit clause in your shareholders’ agreement may already be unenforceable. Nigeria’s regulatory triple lock, the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), routinely invalidates or frustrates private company exit provisions drafted without domestic statutory context. While well‑meaning drafters focus on tag‑along, drag‑along, and […]

The FX Repatriation Trap: How to Structure Your Nigerian Investment So You Can Actually Take Profits Home By the time a foreign investor in Nigeria realises they cannot take their profits out, it is already too late. The mistake was made on Day One, before the wire transfer ever landed in the Nigerian banking system. Nigeria presents one of Africa ’s most compelling investment destinations: a population exceeding 200 million, abundant natural resources, and expanding infrastructure […]

Venture Capital in Nigeria: A Comprehensive Legal Analysis Abstract 📊 Historical Deal Volume Nigeria recorded 404 private capital deals with an aggregate reported value of approximately USD 3 billion between 2020 and 2024. 📊 Historical Deal Volume Nigeria recorded 404 private capital deals with an aggregate reported value of approximately USD 3 billion between 2020 and 2024. Venture capital has emerged as a critical driver of innovation and economic growth in Nigeria, with significant investments […]