The founder and senior partner of the law firm of Gbenga Biobaku & Co., GBC, as it is fondly called, Mr. Gbenga Biobaku, has said strong Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) culture is imperative for law firms to aid Nigeria’s development.
According to him, such CSR must be tailored through education and human capacity development.
He made the remark, while celebrating with the firm’s esteemed clients at their 20th Anniversary dinner, which held at The Wheatbaker in Ikoyi recently.
Biobaku recounted the 20 years of interesting journey of the firm, which, according to him, started at a small office on Strachan Street, Lagos.
He said the two decades were a major milestone for the partners and the staff of the firm.
The dinner provided a convivial atmosphere and platform to celebrate the firm’s staff members, partners and especially clients, who have sustained it in business.
As part of the activities marking the anniversary, the law firm last month, had a charity visit to Bethesda Primary and Secondary schools.
It also had a thanksgiving service and a beach party for GBC officials and alumni.
The law firm has other partners, which include, Okey Nwanya, Ijeoma Abalogu, Ayoade Oluwasanmi and Wole Tejuoso.
Biobaku appreciated the firm’s long-standing clients such as, Equinor, Baker Hughes, Parker Drilling and Bolamark Engineering.
“20 years of any business is a major milestone and we think that this is a good time to celebrate with our clients, and friends and also to reenergise ourselves for the future as well.
“We thought it would be good to bring together most of the people that have been part of our journey in the last 20 years and some of our close friends and associates,” he said.
Tracing the journey from the firm’s days of little beginning, Biobaku said: “We started a little over 20 years ago at a small office in Strachan Street. The office was actually provided to us by a good friend of mine who is also here with us.
“The firm has grown over the years to become a medium-sized commercial law firm in Nigeria. We moved to a much bigger office in Keffi Street within one year of starting up, and after a few years we moved to a much bigger space, which is our current location in Lekki.”
Abalogu, a partner of the law firm, expressed excitement over the sustained growth and giant strides achieved by the firm over the years in business.
She hailed the commitment and professionalism of the partners, especially the senior partner in steering the firm to greatness.
The dinner witnessed an insightful presentation by Prof. Chris Ogbechie, Dean of the Lagos Business School, who was also the guest speaker.
Ogbechie, during his presentation, titled: “Navigating the Uncertain Business Terrain of 2023” reviewed the economy, business and corporate world in a practical ways that exposed the challenges and also how to navigate the uncertain business terrain of 2023.
For Mutiu Sunmonu, chairman of the event, it was truly a big milestone considering that many businesses have gone down because of the economic realities and challenges of doing business in Nigeria.
He praised Biobaku and his team and urged them to sustain their commitment and professionalism to ensure GBC lives to see even beyond another 20 years.
(Guardian)
