Abuja, Nigeria · Corporate Lawyers · Transaction Advisers · Arbitrators
Counsel for Nigeria's
energy, enterprise
and climate law.
We advise energy majors, oil & gas operators, state governments, corporates and foreign investors on transactions, disputes and regulation — including the fast-developing law of carbon markets, from carbon rights and host-country authorisation to offtake agreements.
- 140+ years
Collective practice at partner level, across four decades of Nigerian energy and commercial law.
- MFR national honour
Member of the Order of the Federal Republic, conferred on our Senior Partner.
- 22 practice areas
From upstream licensing and project finance through to carbon rights and Article 6 authorisation.
- 3 layers of law
Nigerian statute, national carbon policy and international registry rules — every credit must clear all three.
A corporate practice with four decades in energy
Ernsten & Co is a firm of barristers, solicitors and arbitrators. Our work spans corporate and commercial transactions, oil and gas, project finance, disputes and regulatory compliance — and, increasingly, the law that governs climate finance and carbon markets in Nigeria.
Commercial judgement, not only legal risk
We advise on structure and sequencing as well as on legal risk — because in a new or fast-moving market, the two are usually the same question.
Grounded in Nigerian law and Nigerian land
Land tenure, community consent and regulatory approval are decided under Nigerian statute first. We work outward from that toward the international frameworks a transaction needs to reach finance.
Fluent on both sides of the table
We have advised state actors on regulatory design and private parties on compliance — which means we know what each side is actually asking for.
Four decades of energy-sector depth
Upstream and downstream transactions, project finance, NUPRC approvals and World Bank and AfDB funded work — the transactional rigour that large, multi-party projects demand.
The climate and carbon practice
Three layers of law stand between a standing forest and a settled payment. We advise across all three, so the parties to a project are not left with gaps at a handover.
- 01 · The foundation
Environmental Law
How a project touches air, water, land and the communities living on it — the layer every carbon asset is built upon.
- Environmental Impact Assessment and NESREA permitting
- Pollution control, hazardous waste and oil spill liability
- Biodiversity, forestry law and protected-area land use
- ESG policy, sustainability reporting and green bond frameworks
- Environmental damage claims and community compensation
- 02 · Climate as an economic asset
Climate Wealth Law
The statutory and financial architecture that turns climate obligation into investable, revenue-generating structure.
- Climate Change Act 2021 implementation and NDC advisory
- Green bonds, climate funds and blended finance structures
- Just transition frameworks for oil & gas sector workers
- Renewable PPAs, grid access and mini-grid regulation
- Adaptation law and climate-resilient infrastructure standards
- 03 · The instrument itself
Carbon Credit Law
Carbon credits are only worth what the law behind them can defend. This is where ownership, transfer and enforceability are established.
- Project registration under Article 6.2, 6.4, Verra VCS and Gold Standard
- Carbon rights between landowner, developer, government and community
- Emissions trading, sectoral caps and MRV design
- ITMO authorisation and corresponding adjustments
- Offtake agreements with corporate and compliance buyers
- Registry design, double-counting avoidance and greenwashing defence
Where we act, and for whom
| Area | What we do | Who we help |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental Compliance | EIA, NESREA permits, pollution liability, ESG reporting, community agreements | Oil & gas, manufacturing, infrastructure developers |
| Climate Policy & Wealth Law | Climate Change Act advisory, green bond structuring, just transition frameworks, NDC implementation | Federal and state governments, National Assembly, DFIs |
| Carbon Project Law | Project agreements, carbon rights and land tenure, legal support through validation, verification and registration under Verra, Gold Standard and Article 6 | Project developers, SMEs, communities |
| Carbon Markets & Trading | Carbon rights contracts, offtake agreements, ITMO authorisation, national registry design | Banks, insurers, corporate buyers |
| Carbon Finance Law | Documentation for carbon-backed lending, green bonds, DFI funding and credit sale agreements | Investors, pension funds, development finance institutions |
| Litigation & Risk | Carbon fraud, greenwashing defence, environmental damage claims, regulatory appeals | Corporates, insurers, government agencies |
Core practice areas
- Oil & Gas Law
- Energy & Natural Resources
- Project Finance
- Corporate & Commercial Law
- Mergers & Acquisitions
- Commercial Litigation
- Arbitration & ADR
- Banking & Finance
- Regulatory Compliance
- Construction & Infrastructure
- Real Estate & Property Law
- Maritime & Admiralty Law
- International Trade & Investment
- Telecommunications & ICT Law
- Employment & Labour Law
- Immigration & Expatriate Services
- Intellectual Property
- Company Secretarial & Governance
- Environmental Law
- Investment Advisory
- Climate Wealth Advisory
- Carbon Credit Law
From voluntary credit to authorised transfer
A tonne of carbon becomes a different instrument once a host government has authorised its transfer and adjusted its own national inventory to match. That authorisation is a legal process, and it is one we advise the parties on.
1 tCO₂e
Voluntary market
Voluntary pricing
- Host-country approval from the National Council on Climate Change
- Corresponding adjustment applied to Nigeria’s national inventory
- Authorisation under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement
1 tCO₂e
Compliance buyers — Switzerland, Singapore, CORSIA
Compliance pricing
The partners
Over 140 years of collective practice at partner level, across energy, commercial litigation, maritime, project finance and regulatory compliance.
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Hon. Barr. Ernest Nnamdi Ezike, MFR
Founder & Senior Partner · 40+ yearsLL.B (Hons) · B.L (Hons) · PGD Petroleum Economics · PGD Journalism
Oil & gas transactions, project finance, regulatory compliance and public policy. Former Member of the Anambra State House of Assembly and Chairman of its Committee on Judiciary. Advisory work spans World Bank and African Development Bank funded projects.
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Barr. Sonnie Ekwowusi
Partner · 38+ yearsLL.B (Hons) · B.L (Hons) · LL.M (Maritime Law)
Commercial litigation, maritime and admiralty law, banking and capital markets. A published public affairs analyst, formerly on the editorial boards of The Guardian and ThisDay.
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Barr. Herbert E. Okaka
Partner · ~40 yearsLL.B (Hons) · B.L (Hons) · LL.M (International Law)
Civil and commercial litigation, international business transactions, construction and real estate law. Member of the Nigerian, International and African Bar Associations.
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Barr. Ebere Mmo
Associate Partner · 12+ yearsLL.B (Hons) · B.L (Hons) · LL.M
Arbitration, corporate advisory and regulatory compliance, with a particular track record in expatriate quota management and licensing for international oil companies.
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Barr. Jane Ogechukwu Okafor
AssociateLL.B (Hons), Ibadan · B.L (Hons), Nigerian Law School
Litigation and court advocacy, debt recovery and enforcement, contract drafting and property law. Associate of the Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators.
Whatever you are building in Nigeria, the law is the first thing to get right.
We act for corporates, energy operators, state governments, DFIs and foreign investors. Tell us what you are working on.