COPORATE PROFILE
PROFILE OF AFRILAW BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Mr. Benson Chinedu Olugbuo holds a PhD in Public Law from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. He is currently the Managing Partner of Benson Olugbuo & Company, and was formerly the Country Director of Center for Civilians in Conflict, and Executive Director formerlythe Executive Director of CLEEN Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes public safety, security and accessible justice in Nigeria.
He was a Fox International Fellow and Visiting Assistant in Research at Yale University from 2011 – 2012. He was a Teaching and Research Assistant at the University of Cape Town and a Visiting Lecturer at the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, South Africa and Oberlin College, Ohio, United States of America.
He was also the Anglophone Africa Coordinator for the Coalition for the International Criminal Court and led the campaign for the domestic implementation of the Rome Statute of the ICC in Sub-Saharan Africa from 2004 – 2009. He attended the sessions of the Assembly of States Parties of the ICC in The Hague and New York and participated in the Review Conference of the ICC, in Kampala, Uganda in 2010. He is a Solicitor and Advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and has published widely on international criminal justice and human rights in Africa.
Mr. Okereke ChInwike is an International Human Rights and Development Law Expert with over 10 years professional experience. He is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of African Law Foundation (AFRILAW), Abuja-Nigeria, a national Law, Justice and Development NGO and the leading national NGO in private security governance and reform in Nigeria. He is also the Principal Consultant of BHRAfrica Advisory Service, an international business and human rights consulting firm based in Abuja. He was formerly the Global Coordinator of the Network on Business, Conflicts and Human Rights (BCHRNetwork).
Mr. Chinwike holds LLM in International Human Rights Law (Specializing in Business and Human Rights) from the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Enugu and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Development Studies from the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), University of Nigeria Enugu Campus (UNEC), Enugu. He also obtained Advanced Certificate on Human Rights and Business Rights Course from the Center for Human Rights of the Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, South Africa. He is a Certified Management Consultant (CMC) and a Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants (IMC-Nigeria)/International Council of Management Consulting Institutes (ICMCI) UK.
He is a member of Board of Directors of International Code of Conduct (ICoCA) Switzerland, Executive member of the Africa Private Security Observatory of the Geneva Center for Security Sector Governance (DCAF) Switzerland, Steering Committee member of Zero Tolerance Initiative (ZTI) and member of the National Steering Committee on Elimination of Child Labour of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Nigeria.
Mrs. Ebelechukwu is a Partner in the firm of PUNUKA Attorneys & Solicitors, Lagos. She heads the Consultancy & Government Regulatory Department, where her training and experience in Project Finance has been greatly utilized in providing services to client. Her practice areas include Dispute Resolution (Expertise in Litigation), Privatisation, Legal & Regulatory Drafting, Legal and Transaction Advisory, Project Finance, Capital Market, Probate & Family Law, Estate Planning & Asset Management, Energy Law (Power), Oil & Gas, Company Law & Practice, Commercial Law, Insolvency.
She has extensive experience in Financial Services Law, Insolvency and Business Restructuring having advised and assisted various multinationals and companies in restructuring their credit facilities and acting as a Receiver/Manager in an insolvency matter. Ebelechukwu also has extensive experience in company secretarial services, having handled several matters which involved her vast knowledge of Company and Allied Matters. Her expertise also involves Family Law, Probate Matters and Estate Planning. Ebelechukwu has been involved in many ‘big ticket’ dispute resolution brief in Nigeria.
She is a graduate of Nigerian Law School, Lagos Campus, and Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Enugu, Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu. She has attended many Conferences and Professional Trainings such as Legal Aspects of Project Finance: Documenting, Drafting and Negotiation Techniques by Institute for Public Private Partnership (IP3), Arlington, Virginia, USA, Lawyers Associated Worldwide, Regional Conference Prague, David Wilkins Advanced Leadership Course by the Section on Business of the NBA, Effective Public Prosecution and Defence: Ethics and Essentials for Success by Lagos Business School, and Fundamentals of Capital Market Development and Regulation by UNITAR.
She is the Social and Welfare Secretary, Capital Market Solicitors Association CMSA, Chairman of the Organizing Committee, PUNUKA Annual Lecture 2015, and President of the Auxiliaries of the Gideons International, Lagos Island Camp.
Mr. Okereke Chima graduate of University of Jos, Jos, is a result oriented and seasoned Civil and Commercial litigation lawyer who has had extensive experience in commercial dispute resolution, capital and debt refinancings. He has also severally rendered legal and business advisory services in Construction, Finance, Oil and Gas transactions.
After the completion of his National Youth Service in 1993, he served in the employment of Venus Investment Ltd Lagos, as the Company’s Legal Adviser/Business Manager between 1993 and 1994.
He was a Counsel with Kola Awodein & Co. from 1994 to 2000, before joining the law firm of George, George& Co. in 2001. He was a Partner in Prima Ballium Chambers between 2003 and 2012, and re-joined Kola Awodein & Co as a Partner in 2012.
Mr. Okereke a Council member and Fellow Society of Construction Industry Arbitrators is currently Head of theFirm’s practice in the Abuja Office.
He is an active member of the team of lawyers advising and defending the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) against the suits arising from the 2009 Banking sector reform initiative and has also recently been engaged in the Financial and Tax audit advisory spectrum, having served as co-Lead in the audit of NIMASA in 2013, by KA & Co Consulting for the Federal Inland Revenue Services (F.I.R.S).
Mr. Okereke has a rich history in advocacy and campaign for social justice, gender equality and in his days as a student served as the Secretary-General of the National Association of Nigerian Students. He also served as the Secretary of the NBA Committee for the Defence of MKO Abiola between 1994-1996.
Ms. Grace Okpala is a Chartered Accountant with over 9 years’ post-qualification experience. She has diverse field experience in managing the finances of companies and international organizations. She started her career as an Account Supervisor/Revenue Controller for Protea Hotels. She held the position of the Regional Finance Officer with Center for Clinical Care and Research Nigeria, an Implementing Partner for Center for Disease Control US PEPFAR HIV project in the South East Region of Nigeria. She was trained by Onyefulu Eddymic and Co. a firm of Chartered Accountants in Nigeria.
Also, she worked briefly with Maryland Global Initiative Corporation (MGIC) on the Nigeria AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey – NAIIS, a project of University of Maryland Baltimore, USA. Currently, Grace is the Country Finance Officer for Accountability Lab Nigeria. She is an advocate of public interest accounting for SMEs in Nigeria as a pathway to economic development.
She holds her M.Sc. and B.Sc. Accounting degrees from the University of Nigeria and Enugu State University of Science and Technology, respectively. She is a PhD Accounting Student of University of Nigeria.
Mrs Emelda Chinwike is a graduate of Bachelor of Science Degree in Geology from Anambra State University now known as Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu University in Nigeria. She is currently pursuing her Master degree in Environmental management, Enugu state University of technology.
Mrs. Emelda is a seasoned geologist with more than 10 years industrial experience in production and equipments spare parts management.She worked with Lafage Africa PLC as Packing Operation Control Room Operator for 4 years before joining the preventive maintenance team also as spares parts receiving supervisor for Lafage Mfamosing plant operations.
She is ISO 14001:2015 EMS certified internal auditor and current consult for Mifor consult, a geo-data collection and laboratory analysis company that offers integrated assessment services. She is a change agent, she is an innovative and a visionary leader who looks for faster and better ways to accomplish goals through people. she received a number of awards while in service with Lafage Africa PLC. A member of Rotary club Calabar Tinapa Nigeria. She served as board member for 2022-2023 Rotary year as well as the Rotary Foundation chairlady.