Meet the Experts Behind Oakwell Partners
Our dedicated team of professionals combines legal expertise and industry insight to deliver trusted solutions across Nigeria and beyond.
Osarieme Ezekiel
Osarieme Ezekiel is a seasoned legal and financial services professional with over 30 years of multidisciplinary experience spanning banking, law, corporate governance and alternative dispute resolution (ADR). She is the Managing Partner at Oakwell Partners, a commercial law firm specialising in cross-border transactions, debt recovery, contract advisory and dispute resolution.
Called to the Nigerian Bar in 1990, she holds degrees in English (BA Hons), Law (LLB Hons) and an MBA. Her 20+ year career in the banking sector covered executive roles in Treasury, Credit, Legal Advisory, Company Secretarial, Compliance, Debt Recovery and Commercial Banking.
A CEDR (UK) accredited Mediator since 2004 and certified by the International Mediation Institute (IMI), Ms. Ezekiel is a passionate ADR advocate. She serves as a Neutral on the panels of the Lagos Multi-Door Courthouse (LMDC), Enugu Multi-Door Courthouse (ESMDC), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC). She is also on the Faculty of the Lagos Multi-Door Courthouse (LMDC), Standing Conference of Mediation Advocates (SCMA) and the Nigerian Institute of Chartered Arbitrators (NICArb).
Her ADR practice spans banking, commercial, digital finance, family, construction, oil & gas, telecommunications, power and employment disputes. She has led training and mediation projects, including the LMDC/British Council UN Access to Justice Initiative.
Ms. Ezekiel is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK & Nigeria), the Civil Mediation Council (CMC), Standing Conference of Mediation Advocates (SCMA) UK and other notable bodies. She speaks regularly at legal and ADR forums nationwide.
She sits on the board of Resource Intermediaries Ltd and is a Fellow of the Institute of Construction Industry Arbitrators (ICArb).
Lawyer | Corporate Governance Consultant | Mediator | Financial & Investment Advisor
Managing Partner, Oakwell Partners
Osaigbovo Ezekiel
Osaigbovo Ezekiel is a seasoned lawyer and banking professional, with over 34 years of post-qualification legal experience and more than 21 years of senior management and leadership experience in the banking sector.
She holds an LL.B (Hons) from Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, and a B.L (Hons) from the Nigerian Law School, Lagos. She is also an alumna of the Federal Government Girls’ College, Benin City, and a certified mediator of the Lagos Multi-Door Courthouse (LMDC).
A highly skilled administrator and legal practitioner, Osaigbovo has built extensive expertise across a wide range of practice areas, including but not limited to: Corporate Banking, Investment Advisory, Mergers & Acquisitions, Public Sector Finance, Project Finance, Financial Intermediation, Commercial Law, Labour Law, and Manpower & Capacity Development.
She is currently a Partner and the Practice Director at Oakwell Partners, a firm of commercial lawyers, corporate governance advisors, and mediators. Prior to this, she served in senior leadership roles within the financial services sector, where she provided strategic direction and oversight across corporate banking, retail operations, international business, and treasury management.
Osaigbovo is a member of both the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN).
Partner & Practice Director, Oakwell Partners
Toluwalase Ajayi
Toluwalase Ajayi graduated from the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun state in 2016 and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2017. She is a qualified Legal and Corporate Governance Practitioner, Chartered Secretary, and Administrator and a Senior Associate at Oakwell Partners with extensive experience in delivering effective and innovative solutions to complex issues.
She has advised clients across diverse industries on a broad range of legal and regulatory matters, including engagements involving the Corporate Affairs Commission, property transactions and commercial agreements. She is committed to applying her expertise to drive meaningful impact.
Chidiebere Odiba
Chidiebere Odiba is a Senior Associate at Oakwell Partners. He graduated from the prestigous Abia State University where he obtained a Bachelor of Laws degree in 2015 and was later called to the Nigerian Bar in 2017.
Chidiebere has over eight years of experience in corporate and commercial law, with a strong track record in leading high-profile commercial negotiations and providing strategic guidance on complex legal and business matters.
His professional interests include commercial law, intellectual property, city development, artificial intelligence, sports, and entertainment.
He is also committed to volunteering, scholarly research, and advancing ethical and effective business practices through robust legal frameworks that support innovation and sustainable growth
