Legal & Compliance Associate

Ebiwari
Jonah Okah

Corporate & Commercial Lawyer based in Lagos, Nigeria. Specialising in data protection, regulatory compliance, business advisory, and corporate governance for startups, SaaS companies, and small companies.

NDPC / NDPA GDPR AML / CFT Financial Regulation Corporate Governance Company secretariate
+234 813 076 2596
jonah@e-jonahokah.online
Lagos, Nigeria
Jonah E. Okah - Nigerian Lawyer and Legal Compliance Associate
01 About

A Corporate and Technology driven
legal practitioner

I am a Corporate & Commercial Lawyer in Nigeria with extensive experience in law and technology. My experience spans across data protection, regulatory compliance, company secretariate, and corporate governance advisory. My professional work spans legal drafting and the development and review of policy frameworks SLAs, KYC/AML policies, cookie policies, and terms of use for web and SaaS applications.

I bring a unique blend of legal expertise and technology insight, enabling me to support fintechs, startups, SaaS companies, and corporate organisations in building compliant, scalable, and user focused products. My approach is practical and commercially driven ensuring legal frameworks align with business objectives and innovation.

Recent Work Experience

George Ikoli & Okagbue

Associate Counsel, Legal & Compliance · June 2025 – Present


Udochi Iheanacho Partnership, SAN (UIP)

Associate Counsel


F.T Okorotie, SAN & Co

Associate Counsel

Education

LL.B – Igbinedion University Okada

B.L – Nigerian Law School

Memberships

  • Nigerian Bar Association
  • Financial Reporting Council (FRC)
  • Nigerian Data Protection Commission
  • CAC Accredited Agent
02 Experience

Professional Journey

Current

Associate Counsel, Legal & Compliance

George Ikoli & Okagbue (GI&O)

June 2025 – Present
  • —Led the firm's Data Protection & Regulatory Compliance function on Data protction, legal advisory and opinions on data protection, remittance, corporate due diligence strategies, consumer protection.
  • —Assisted in a multiple capital raise strategies in equity capital raise and advisory for various clients, on major gas pipeline project, client liason, vessel financing and preparing transaction documentation and compliance structures.
  • —Drafted terms of engagements, SLA's, NDAs, agreements, and detailed legal opinions for corporate clients.
  • —Handled financing transactions and due diligence exercises.
  • —Handled garnishee and other litigation processes. matters.
  • —Supported Company Secretariate functions including board level advisory, minutes of meetings, and board resolutions.

Associate (Remote Role)

Udochi Iheanacho Partnership (SAN)

May 2024 – Mar 2026
  • —Advised on corporate governance, regulatory compliance.
  • —Led negotiations and client arrangements
  • —Drafted SLA's, franchise and partnership agreements, including cross-border arrangements between Nigerian healthcare providers and UK-based tech companies.
  • —Drafted term sheets, corporate agreements
  • —Conducted legal due diligence for a telecom client in an M&A transaction.

Associate Counsel

F. T Okorotie (SAN) & Co

Oct 2020 – Apr 2024
  • —Represented clients in litigation across trial and appellate courts, drafting and filing pleadings, motions, and court processes.
  • —Handled and assisted Principal Partner in several high profile election petition matters at both tribunal and appellate levels in multiple jurisdictions.
  • —Conducted extensive legal research and drafting in support of commercial litigation matters.

Associate Counsel

S.O Adolor & Co · 2020

General legal practice.

Compliance & Advisory Counsel

Ripus Hospital Limited · 2020

Healthcare compliance advisory and regulatory guidance.

Citizens Rights' Department — ADR (NYSC)

Ministry of Justice, Calabar · 2018

Alternative dispute resolution and citizens' rights advocacy during national service.

03 Key Achievements

Career Highlights

Financing arrangments

Contributed to several equity capital raise for various companies, preparing transaction documentations, conducting due diligence, checklist and more

Data Protection Leadership

Led data protection and regulatory compliance initiatives, embedding internal controls and ensuring enterprise wide adherence to NDPA-GAID and GDPR standards.

Legal Drafting and Negotiation

Handled successfully various drafts from SLA's to term sheets, deal negotiations and financing arangements

Policy Drafting

Drafted and deployed AML/CFT, KYC, Privacy, Cookie, and Terms of Use policies, strengthening regulatory compliance and audit readiness across multiple startup entities.

Litigation

Been part of several matters at tribunals, superior courts of record and appellate levels across multiple jurisdictions.

Corporate Goals

Assisted clients with tax optimisation, corporate governance strategies strategies, achieving documented cost savings and compliance towards remitance.

04 Skills & Expertise

Practice Areas

Legal Skills

Regulatory Compliance Policy Drafting Legal Research ADR Corporate Governance Contract Negotiation

Technology & Business

Data Protection SaaS Legal Business Development Privacy Policy KYC / AML Open Banking Front end developer (Saas Applications)

Competencies

Team Leadership Due Diligence Board Advisory M&A Support Risk Management Compliance Audits

Regulatory Frameworks & Laws

NDPA-GAID GDPR BOFIA CAMA CBN Guidelines and Frameworks AML/CFT Regulations FRC/NCCG 2018 Code of Corporate Governance CAC Regulations SEC Code of Corporate Governance SEC Regulations

Certifications & Continuous Learning

✦ Postgraduate Diploma in Capital Market (PGDCM)
✦ Privacy & Data Protection Certified GDPR Compliance
✦ Diploma in Anti-Money Laundering (AML) KYC & Compliance
✦ GRC – Governance, Risk & Compliance Professional Masterclass
✦ AML/CFT Compliance Officer Certification
✦ ALX AI Career Essentials (AiCE) Programme
Get in Touch

Let's work
together.

Available for regulatory compliance advisory, legal due diligence, fintech governance, and corporate law engagements. Open to full time, consulting, and remote roles.

jonah@e-jonahokah.online +234 813 076 2596 e-jonahokah.online

Career Interests

Financial Technology Open Banking Policy Documentation SaaS Legal Advisory Due Diligence Corporate Governance

Sectors Served

Fintech & Digital Banking Energy & Oil & Gas Healthcare Technology Telecommunications Maritime & Vessel Finance SaaS & Startups

© 2025 Ebiwari Jonah Okah. All rights reserved.

Lagos, Nigeria · Nigerian Bar Association Member