Nicholas Okafor is a Partner at Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie, where he heads the firm’s Energy, Projects and Infrastructure Practice, and is also a key member of the Banking & Finance and Dispute Resolution teams. With over three decades of legal experience, Nicholas is widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s leading advisers on complex infrastructure, energy, and project finance transactions.
His practice spans the full lifecycle of major projects, from development and structuring through financing, construction, and long-term operation. He has advised on some of Nigeria’s most significant power and infrastructure projects, including the development of independent power plants, large-scale gas pipeline networks, and innovative “power island” arrangements that deliver electricity to millions of people across multiple local government areas. He has also led advisory teams on public-private partnerships, including the development of toll roads and transport infrastructure under build-operate-transfer concession models.
Nicholas has a strong cross-border and pan-African practice. He has advised international energy and infrastructure investors on projects across Africa, including integrated power solutions, healthcare infrastructure, and energy transmission and distribution frameworks implemented in collaboration with sovereign and subnational governments.
In addition to project development, Nicholas is particularly skilled in capital raising and debt restructuring. He regularly advises clients on financing through international and Nigerian capital markets, including Eurobonds, syndicated and bilateral loans, structured finance arrangements, and complex balance-sheet restructurings aligned with long-term business objectives.
Beyond transactional work, Nicholas is a published author and seasoned trainer. He has written extensively on the Nigerian power sector and banking securities and has delivered training programmes and presentations to thousands of lawyers and executives across Nigeria and internationally. He is consistently ranked by leading global legal directories as a “leader in his field,” recognised for his technical depth, commercial judgment, and solution-driven approach.
- Banking
- Financial restructuring
- PPP/PFI
- Project development
- Project finance
- Banking
- Construction and materials
- Energy
- Government and public policy
- Natural resources
- Oil and gas
- Social infrastructure
- Utilities
- Bachelor-at-Law, Nigerian Law School, 1992
- Bachelor of Laws, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, 1991
- Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Nigeria, 2002
- Nigerian Bar Association, 1992