Olaniwun Ajayi looks to the future as it promotes eight talented lawyers to Managing Counsel or Senior Associate

Leading Lagos-headquartered African law firm Olaniwun Ajayi yesterday announced the promotion of several of its rising stars and talented lawyers to Managing Counsel or Senior Associate positions, across varied practice areas ranging from commercial, intellectual property (IP), entertainment and media law through dispute resolution, oil and gas to technology, innovation, and fintech, and capital markets and finance. 

Busola Bakinson, a Team Lead in the firm’s Commercial, IP & Entertainment Practice practice, and Mitchell Aghatise, Team Lead of the Government Business Practice (and co-lead of the Arbitration team), have been promoted to Managing Counsel. 

Olaniwun Ajayi also announced that talented lawyers Oluwadunsin Adebayo, Opeyemi Araromi, Eustace Aroh, Zikoraifechukwu Ebenebe, Joel Nyot, and Hibbatun-Nasser Shobambi have each been promoted to Senior Associate. 

“We are delighted to announce the promotion of our new Managing Counsel and Senior Associates,” said Olaniwun Ajayi. “Their consistent excellence, sound judgment, and unwavering commitment to our clients truly reflect the values of our firm. These well-deserved promotions mark an exciting step forward.”

From its roots as a sole practice established in 1962 by prominent Nigerian lawyer, author, and politician Sir Olaniwun Ajayi, after he qualified as a barrister at Lincoln’s Inn, Olaniwun Ajayi LP has grown over the past six decades into one of Africa’s leading legal practices. The largest firm in West Africa, it combines a pan-African focus with a pioneering international outlook, and commitment to the future of law.

Last August, it joined global giants such as Ashurst, A&O Shearman, and PWC, and became the first West African law firm to roll out cutting-edge artificial intelligence solution Harvey AI. In September, it won three categories at the 12th annual African Legal Awards, including African Law Firm of the Year for West Africa. On 1 October, it hosted a pioneering Energy Leadership Forum, as part of Africa Energy Week. 

New Managing Counsel Busola Bakinson is a seasoned expert in commercial, IP, entertainment and media law, who actively contributes to global IP policy development and mentoring initiatives, shaping the future of the IP landscape. She has been honoured as a trailblazer by the World Intellectual Property Review. 

Fellow new Managing Counsel Mitchell Aghatise was recently named as one of seven new Regional Representatives for Africa by the Young International Arbitration Group (YIAG), which has over 12,200 members from 145+ countries. His practice combines high-stakes domestic and international arbitration with complex financial and commercial advisory, positioning him as a versatile lawyer who bridges dispute resolution with strategic transactional support across diverse sectors.

New Senior Associate Oluwadunsin Adebayo is a public policy and regulatory affairs expert who joined Olaniwun Ajayi two years ago, after several years working in strategic consultancy for African and global business advisory firms. 

Opeyemi Araromi works in the firm’s Technology, Innovation and Fintech practice group where she advises global leading card schemes, payment processors, cryptocurrency companies, among others on various transborder issues. Eustace Aroh is in the same practice group, where he routinely advises international and local technology companies on transaction structuring, financing, strategic partnerships, license acquisition, regulatory compliance, and data protection.

New Senior Associate Zikoraifechukwu Ebenebe joined Olaniwun Ajayi in November 2022, and works in corporate finance and capital markets. She has served as Chair of the firm’s Open Day Committee, and was named a Rising Star at the 2024 ESQ Nigeria Legal Awards. Joel Nyot is a member of the Oil and Gas Business Unit, and has contributed to a variety of financing, construction, project development, and M&A transactions, representing both domestic and multinational clients, 

The sixth new Senior Associate, Hibbatun-Nasser Shobambi is a core member of the firm’s IP, Entertainment, and Media team, where she advises indigenous and multinational clients on strategic protection, management, and enforcement of IP rights within Nigeria, across the African continent, and in global markets. She has been ranked as a Rising Star for the EMEA region by Managing Intellectual Property, and last month was one of two African lawyers named among the International Trademark Association (INTA)’s 2025/2026 cohort of Rising Stars; emerging leaders who are making a significant and lasting impact in the field of intellectual property