Onyinye Okafor

‘Failure is the Fuel You Need to Succeed’

- Prolific Finance Lawyer, Onyinye Okafor

Onyinye Okafor’s dream was to become an Accountant like her father, but she changed her mind after reading about Jennifer Parker, a successful fictional lawyer in Sidney Sheldon’s 1980 bestseller, Rage of Angels. However, her first exposure to legal practice was in litigation, which she detested. She knew she had to find another path.

She tried other practice areas and settled with Finance Law, which turned her into a rockstar in Nigeria’s legal circle. Today, she’s a Partner at Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie, and advices international banks including Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Credit Suisse, JP Morgan, Standard Chartered Bank among others. Onyinye shares her story with Business Elites Africa in this interview, and at the centre of it is God and hard work. She believes that the pathway to success in life is anchored on a phrase; ‘pray hard and work hard.’

You’re an accomplished lawyer in a male-dominated space. Tell us your backstory.

First and foremost, I owe all my achievements to God. One of my favourite mottos is a quote by one of the greatest saints of all time, St. Augustine, and says, “pray as if everything depends on God and work as if everything depends on you.” This quote has always been my guiding principle in life.

I went to a special science school, and at that time, I didn’t even want to be a lawyer. However, after I graduated from secondary school, I decided to read Law due to one or two factors. Once I made up my mind, I had to stay back an extra year to enable me to take the subject that I will require to study Law at the University. I sat for the University entrance examination conducted by the Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB). I passed and studied Law at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, Anambra state, Nigeria.

Coming from a science background and with siblings that had studied Law, I thought having good grades in Law was only for brilliant people, but my brother (now deceased) encouraged me to work hard. I studied hard and went on to make very good grades at University and the Nigerian Law school.

I proceeded to do my compulsory one-year National Youth Service Corp (N.Y.S.C.) at the Law firm of O.C.J. Okocha in Portharcourt. Getting to work at the firm did not just fall on my lap. I worked hard to secure that placement. When I decided I wanted to work in O.C.J. Okocha’s firm, I visited him and discussed that possibility with him. He agreed and said, provided I could get the officials of the N.Y.S.C. to post me to his chambers. I prayed hard for things to go as I desired. Then, I was posted to the ministry of justice, Portharcourt, for my primary assignment, but luckily, they rejected me. That was how it was easy for me to request the N.Y.S.C. officials to post me to O.C.J. Okocha’s Chambers.

After my N.Y.S.C., I heard that Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie (UUBO), my current Law firm, was recruiting, so I applied. After applying for the opening, I studied and prayed hard. Fortunately, I was one of the successful candidates.

Becoming an Associate at UUBO exposed me to many transactions and helped me to hone and refine my skills as a lawyer. As a hard worker, rising through the ranks was just a matter of time, and I progressed steadily until I became a Partner at the firm.

You mentioned you didn’t want to study Law; what changed your mind?

It’s funny. There was this novel I read when I left secondary school, Rage of Angels by Sidney Sheldon, and it was the story of a successful lawyer in the storyline that I was endeared to. After reading the novel, I just realised that becoming a lawyer is what I’m called to do. Even before I read it, my dad wanted me to be a lawyer, but I didn’t like it. As a daddy’s girl, I wanted to become a chartered accountant like him. I just wanted to follow in his footstep. Being an Accountant was my dream job at the beginning until I read this book, which refocused me, and I knew I had to be a lawyer and someone that would help people through their challenges and difficulties.

Did your dream of becoming an Accountant influence your decision to settle for Finance Law?

No, not really. Finance Law actually choose me. What happened was that when I started working at UUBO, we were exposed to different transactions. We have various practice areas we get to work in, including Energy, Finance, and so on. I believe that my skills and strength pushed me toward Finance. I think my supervisors at the time felt Finance was my strength. And while it chose me, I went on a dance with Finance, and I fell in love with it, which also prompted me to do my Master’s in Finance Law.

Were there experiences along your journey that made you doubt yourself and your decision to become a lawyer?

Yes. As a lawyer, challenges come with the job. I mentioned I did my N.Y.S.C. in Portharcourt, but I didn’t say it was a pure litigation Law firm. When I started my working there, I realised early enough that I didn’t want to be a litigator. The reason was because of the protracted process involved, which sort of discouraged young lawyers. Specifically, if you go to court as a young lawyer, it doesn’t matter whether you are the first to get to the court; your case will be pushed to the last. You will have to wait for all your seniors to call their matter, and the judge will hear them.

Sometimes, you will find that you will leave the court that day without even the judge hearing your matter, and then you have to pick another date. So it wasn’t encouraging at all for me. I realised at the time that this was not what I wanted. So I flung my Jennifer Packer inspiration out of the window. I just knew I didn’t want to be a litigator, but I wasn’t also sure what I wanted to be at the time. I toiled with Energy Law and IT Law, but I didn’t explore any of these.

When I started working at UUBO, the long hours were phenomenal. You have to put in the hard work. You work round the clock, and sometimes you work really late. You have to sort of weigh this and ask yourself certain questions, whether it was worth it. Initially, it wasn’t a problem for me because I was young and single and ready to be the best, but when I got married, of course, I had to try to balance the two. Because I always try to achieve what I set out to achieve, quitting was not an option.

What was the most challenging case you have worked on?

Every day is a challenge when you are a lawyer. Some matters come to you, and you just have to put on your work shoe and go to work. I’m in one currently, and it has been very challenging because it’s a first. When you try to do transactions that are first in the market, it can be very tough because there is no precedence for you to look at to guide you. So you have to try and do the required research and all of that.

There was this transaction I worked on right after my Master’s program. It was a very complex transaction. We didn’t know whether the transaction would ever close because it was just difficult. I can’t give specific details because of confidentiality, but I can tell you that I had two children during this transaction. That tells you how long it took for us to complete the transaction. But at the end of the day, we won with hard work and tenacity.

So challenges will always come; it’s just part of life. It is not about whether there are challenges; it’s about what you need to do to conquer those challenges. For me, if you are focused, put in the work, do what needs to be done and pray hard, then that challenge will surely come to an end, and I tell you, it is always well at the end.

Did you feel discriminated against as a woman in a male-dominated industry?

No. And what I will suggest to people is to always not focus on gender issues. I never compared the number of successful female lawyers to successful male lawyers. I don’t do that. I know what I want is to be a lawyer, and I want to be a good lawyer. I work hard to be a good lawyer. I think focusing so much on gender can also bring laziness. I’m not downplaying gender inequality in society, but I think that shouldn’t be the focus. There are many great female lawyers and many great female business and career people. All you see in all of these people is that they put in a lot of hard work and were able to attain success, so that is what it is for me. Work hard, don’t look at the gender just put in the work and then pray. I assure you that success will come.

You said you had two children while working a case. These are the kind of issues that career women have to deal with. How do you balance work and family duties?

Striking a balance is always a constant challenge. I can tell you that it will be easier if you have a supportive partner. My husband is amazing and has supported me throughout my career. Without my husband, I’m not sure I would be where I am today.

When I had to come late, he was always at the home front taking care of the kids. You need a supportive husband and you also need a supportive domestic staff. You also have to learn to work well with people. Working well with your supervisor, peers, and subordinates is also good. I will always say you should pray because God also finds a way to your heart and then channels you towards the right path.

Have you failed at anything, and how did you handle it?

Failure is a constant in life. I think failure is the fuel you need to get you to where you need to be. It gives you grit, strength and tenacity. When you look around, you see that most of the very successful entrepreneurs and people have failed at something. And it was that failure that made them what they have become. I wouldn’t say I have never failed, I have failed one or two times but it’s not about focusing on the failure. There is a reason why you failed. You need to sit down, look at why you failed, and keep your emotions aside. If it means talking to the people you work with or outside your work area, do that. Be humble ask questions and analyse the problems. That is what I do. I can even talk to people who have been through the same issue before, so I get suggestions and recommendations from them.