General Commercial Practice

PUC routinely documents, provides advice and perfects credit facilities for some of Nigeria's foremost banks and financial institutions. Recently, it documented and perfected credit facilities worth N95, 399,000.00 and US$8,092,750.00 respectively granted by a consortium of 11 banks to a publicly quoted and leading Nigerian textile company. PUC is working as Joint Solicitors in the documentation of credit facilities worth N4, 626,297,489.40 granted by a consortium of banks to one of Nigeria's leading fixed-line telephony operators.

During the recapitalisation of banks in 2005 - 2006, PUC served as advisers to three successfully capitalised banks and worked with them through mergers and equity-raising activities. PUC is also working with the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation, NDIC, on the liquidation of four banks that failed to meet the new capital requirement.

PUC has served as Solicitors and Joint Solicitors to a number of firms seeking to raise money from the capital market. PUC advised Akwa Ibom Investments & Industrial Promotion Council (“AKIIPOC”), a wholly-owned agency of the Akwa Ibom State Government on its US$67.5m investment in Celtel Nigeria Limited.

Since 2005, PUC has been working on a power start-up project valued at US$200,000,000. PUC is the lead negotiator for the project finance, investment terms, gas supply, EPC contracts and shareholders agreements.

PUC has worked with several start-up companies in the communications industry. We have obtained licences and negotiated equipment supply with international suppliers on behalf of most of these companies and also obtained required regulatory approvals for their start-up and operations.

PUC worked with the National Assembly in drafting of the Nigerian Communications Act which repealed the former NCC Act and laid the foundation for industry convergence.

PUC also drafted on behalf of the National Assembly several landmark maritime legislation including the Coastal and Inland Shipping (Cabotage) Act No 5 2003 and Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency Bill 2006. PUC also worked with the National Assembly in drafting the Bill for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria and Ports Harbour Bill. Both bills form part of the Nigerian ports reform and privatisation programme of the Bureau for Public Enterprises, BPE.

PUC worked as consultants to a Federal Government agency in the study of a dam construction project estimated to cost N95, 399,000.00 and US$50,389,266.00 respectively.

PUC consulted for Nigerian Telecommunications Limited, NITEL and carried out administrative and legal inquiries into its corporate headquarters building project, Abuja estimated at N1, 756,804,504.60.

PUC made fundamental legal inputs into a study for the formulation of a Strategic Framework for the Management of Nigeria's Land and Water Resources.

PUC routinely advises clients on employment matters including conditions of services, preparation of service contracts, determination of employments, etc. With the introduction of the Pension Reform Act No. 2 of 2004 by the Federal Government, PUC worked with Mobil Oil Nigeria Plc and Celtel to align their pension schemes with the provisions and requirements of the new legislation.