EYO OLAGOKE EKPO

Called to the Nigerian Bar in 1987 and educated at the Universities of Calabar and Lagos, Nigeria where he took Bachelors (1986) and Masters (1990) degrees respectively in Laws.

Eyo has appeared in numerous commercial litigation, arbitration, and appellate matters before various arbitration tribunals and the superior courts of record in Nigeria, especially the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.

In the past few years, Eyo has focused on specialising in the laws and policy relating to telecommunications, information technology and broadcasting. He has distinguished himself as one of the pioneers of telecommunications law and practice in Nigeria. Work recently undertaken by Mr. Ekpo includes developing and implementing plans for the setting up of major telecoms services in Nigeria; negotiating and drafting shareholders, equipment supply and financing agreements; consulting with technical experts and drafting business plans and interfacing with the relevant regulatory agencies for various telecoms ventures. Eyo leads the firm's provision of advice to the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) on various legal, policy and commercial issues affecting ATCON and its members. He is also a consultant to the ITU and is a regular speaker on regulatory and international trade, legal and commercial issues in the communications sector.

He has extensively researched and studied trends in privatisation, infrastructure law, policy regulation and operations, including international telecoms trade and investment issues; and has written extensively and made presentations on telecoms and other issues relating to infrastructure at local and international fora.

He is a member of the Telecommunications Lawyers Association of Nigeria, the Committees on Communications and Space Law of the Section on Business Law of the International Bar Association. He is also a member of the Steering Committee of the African Telecommunications Think Tank (ATTT). Eyo Ekpo initially took a leave of absence to head the Power Sector Reform Team responsible for handling the privatisation of the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) at the Bureau of Public Enterprises, Abuja, the Federal Government Privatisation Agency. Thereafter, he moved over to the Oil and Gas Privatisation Team. He has recently been appointed Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice in Cross River State, one of the nine oil producing States in Nigeria.

Practice Areas: Company and Commercial Law, Communications Law and Policy, Competition and Project Financing.