Emma Okonji
Policy intellectuals, corporate leaders, and senior public officials have called for a collaborative private-public approach to unlocking the immense potential of the newly unveiled National Industrial Policy (NIP) 2025, stressing that the country must now transition from policy design to tangible industrial output and commercial scale.
The charge was given at the high-level Policy Breakfast Session hosted by top-tier commercial law firm, Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie (UUBO), held in Lagos. The event, themed “Translating Nigeria’s New Industrial Policy into Productivity: Navigating Legal & Regulatory Bottlenecks,” also served as the platform for the formal inauguration of the firm’s Government Relations and Public Policy (GRPP) Practice Group.
Speaking at the event, the Senior Partner of UUBO, Mr. Aniekan Ukpanah, noted that the creation of the GRPP practice was driven by a strategic imperative to guide corporate boards through rapidly evolving regulatory and political landscapes. Tracing the firm’s 43-year trajectory from its foundational focus on oil and gas, general corporate advisory, and company secretarial services under its founder, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, the Senior Partner emphasised that modern business models are heavily impacted by intersecting state actions. “Our clients are navigating the space where law meets policy, where regulation meets politics, where a decision made in Abuja on a Tuesday morning changes the commercial dynamics for a boardroom in Lagos by Wednesday,” the Senior Partner further stated. In her welcome address, its Managing Partner, Mrs. Jumoke Lambo, highlighted that systemic bottlenecks and operational frictions dictate major boardroom decisions, procurement renegotiations, and large-scale project financing.