TEAM
Led by Excellence, Powered by Expertise
At Chris Umar SAN & Co, our team is made up of dynamic legal professionals, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chris Umar, SAN. With a shared commitment to diligence, ethical practice, and strategic thinking, we work together to deliver top-tier legal solutions for our clients.
CHRIS A UMAR, SAN
Managing Partner
Profile
Chris Adapar Umar SAN, is a graduate of Law from the University of Abuja and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2002, Appointed a Notary Public in 2010 and elevated to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 2023. He holds a Master’s degree in Industrial and Labour Relations from the Kaduna State University, a Practice Diploma in Capital Market and Loans from the College of England and Wales, and a Certificate in Adaptive leadership from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
With a career spanning over 24 years in both private and public Sector he has served as the Head of Chamber (Abuja Office) with the Law firm of Emmanuel Toro SAN & Co, Special Adviser to the Kaduna State Government on Legal Matters to H.E Governor Nasir El-Rufai, the Legal Adviser - Kaduna State Board of Internal Revenue (KADIRS), Deputy Chief of Staff- Deputy Governor’s Office, Company Secretary - Kaduna Produce Management Company, Co- Chairman - Kaduna State Law Review Committee, Permanent Secretary and Solicitor-General, Ministry of Justice Kaduna State.
He is a member of the International Bar Association, Nigerian Institute of Management, Chartered Institute of Arbitration UK and Common wealth Association of Legislative Counsel.
He is passionate about governance, institutional reforms and the administration of criminal justice system and has attended professional development programs at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies-University of London and the Agha Khan graduate School of Communication Nairobi.
He is married with children.
DENEN IKYA
Partner
Profile
Denen is a seasoned legal practitioner with two (2) decades of legal practice experience. He is a thorough professional, an ardent negotiator, a corporate governance expert and has the flair for deal structuring and closing complex transactions, closed transactions over the years from public private partnership projects, development of engineering infrastructure, telecommunications infrastructure, real estate development and many more. He has vast experience and understanding of business / company management in general, having served as company secretary to a number of organizations, his expertise also spreads through the construction and infrastructure sector, the telecommunications and technology sectors, dispute resolution, mergers and acquisition, corporate and commercial law, sports laws, and real estate.
Denen is a Notary Public of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
He is a Member, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA); Member, African Bar Association; Member, International Dispute Resolution Institute (IDRI); Member, International Bar Association (IBA); Member, Institute of Management Specialist, United Kingdom; Member, Institute of Construction Industry Arbitrators.
Denen is:
• Member of the Ethics Committee, Federation International de Automobile (FIA), 2023 -
• Member, Building Committee Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), 2023 - and was
• previously Vice-Chair of the Appeals’ Committee, Nigerian Football Federation: (Member 2014 -2016; Vice Chair: 2016 – 2022),
• Member, NBA Abuja Branch Committee on Continuing Legal Education 2023, including others past membership of Welfare and Building Committees of the Nigerian Bar Association, Abuja Branch.
OWOICHO DAVID ADEJO-OGIRI
Partner
Profile
Owoicho David Adejo-Ogiri is currently the Manging Partner of Crest Hill Law Office (CHLOF), a seasoned legal practitioner with over 22 years of legal practice with vast expertise in Arbitration & ADR, Telecommunications law, Intellectual Property Law, Sports Law & Administration, Construction & Real Estate Law, Commercial , Regulatory & Compliance expert. Appointed a Neutral Facilitator of the Federal High Court Alternative Dispute Resolution Centre (FHCADRC) and a Notary Public of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
EDUCATION
•LLM from Aberdeen Business School in International Information Technology Law; The Robert Gordon University, Scotland, United Kingdom
•Masters in International Relations and Diplomacy (MIRD) from the Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Nigeria
•Post Graduate Diploma in International Information Technology from Aberdeen Business School: The Robert Gordon University, Scotland, United Kingdom.
•Post Graduate Certificate in International Information Technology from Aberdeen Business School: The Robert Gordon University, Scotland, United Kingdom.
MEMBERSHIP OF PROFESSIONAL BODIES
•Member, Governing Council African Bar Association (AFBA)
•Judge of the Federation International de Automobile (FIA) Courts (International Tribunal & International Court of Appeal) 2024 - 2027
•Member African Bar Association (AFBA)
•Member, International Bar Association (IBA)
•Member Nigerian Bar Association (NBA)
•Member, International Dispute Resolution Institute (IDRI)
•Member Institute of Construction Industry Arbitrators (ICIArb)
•Fellow Institute of Management Specialist (FIMS) United Kingdom
•Neutral of the Federal High Court Dispute Resolution Centre
•Notary Public of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
HADIZA ABUBAKAR-UMAR
Partner
Profile
With over 18 years of experience in both public and private legal practice, Hadiza was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2005. She is a 2004 Law graduate of the University of Abuja and holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Criminology and Security Studies, a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice Administration, and another Master’s Degree in Peace, Conflict, and Strategic Studies from Kaduna State University.
She is a trained mediator and an alumna of the London School of Business and Finance. Over the years, she has attended professional trainings in Corporate Governance, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Emotional Intelligence, and Environmental Law and Policy.
Hadiza began her legal career at Crest Hill Law Office before joining the public service as Secretary to the Board and Assistant General Manager (Legal) at the Kaduna State Traffic Law Enforcement Authority, where she served as the pioneer Head of Legal from 2016 to 2018. She later became a Senior Registrar with the FCT High Court.
She is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association and the International Federation of Women Lawyers and has received numerous awards.
Nufi barnabas Yohanna
Partner
Profile
He is a graduate of the University of Abuja and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2007, an infrastructure specialist, and certified PPP practitioner with over 15 years of experience in the public and private sectors. He holds a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from the Malaysia University of Science and Technology, and a Masters in Sustainable Infrastructure Development and Finance from York University, Canada. He is an alumnus of the Institute of Public-Private Partnerships (IP3), Washington DC, and an APMG Certified PPP Professional (CP3P), a certification of the World Bank Group. In 2021, he was appointed Climate-Resilient Infrastructure Officer with the Global Centre on Adaptation in the Netherlands.
Nufi began his career as a lawyer at one of the leading law firms in Nigeria. He then moved on to work as a Technical Adviser for the Kaduna State Government on secondment, where he drafted several investment-related bills and advised the government on PPP projects and policy. In 2017, he joined the Kaduna Investment Promotion Agency as a strategic member of the team that set up the agency as a one-stop shop, and has played a key role in championing policy reforms that promote Kaduna as an investment destination. In his role at KADIPA, he has also been responsible for setting up the agency's PPP department; developing a robust legal and regulatory framework for PPPs; managing PPP contracts; and overseeing the state's PPP pipeline of projects as well as the privatization of state-owned enterprises and several leases.
Nufi is a Sustainable Infrastructure Fellow (SIFP 2022) with the Investor Leadership Network. He is a highly skilled and experienced PPP practitioner with a proven track record of success and a strategic team player who is able to build relationships and deliver results, and is a passionate advocate for sustainable infrastructure development.
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