Justina Lewa

Lewa Justina

Justina Akpoabugo Lewa ESQ is a Partner in the law firm of Chapitre LLP, Partner, ELAMO LP, an Independent Non-Executive Director of BOI Microfinance Bank Limited, Premium Trust Bank Limited,  Corporate Governance Practitioner, certified Board Evaluator, Provisional Anti-Corruption Compliance Trainer, Mediator, and Arbitrator. She is the immediate past Company Secretary & Chief Legal Counsel of Sterling Bank Plc. Justina holds a Bachelor of Laws Degree from the University of Jos and a Master of Laws Degree from the University of Lagos. She was called to the Nigerian Bar in November, 1988.

She started her career with the Ministry of Justice, Jos, Plateau State, as a State Counsel in August, 1989. Thereafter, in September, 1990, she was employed by NAL Bank Plc as Supervisor with the Legal & Company Secretariat Department. She rose to become Senior Manager, Legal & Company Secretariat & Head of Debt Recovery Team in 2005. Read more

Get In Touch

Justina’s employment was transferred to Sterling Bank Plc in January, 2006 following the consolidation exercise of the banking industry. She was appointed Assistant General Manager and Head, Legal Department in 2007.  In June, 2009, the Board of Directors appointed her as Company Secretary & Chief Legal Counsel and Group Head, Credit Collections & Recovery. As Group Head, Credit Collections & Recovery, she was responsible for setting and executing strategic goals for recovering the bad loan portfolio of the Bank and ensuring that criticized assets remained performing.

She was also appointed Company Secretary & Legal Adviser of Sterling Bank’s subsidiary Companies: Sterling Asset Management Company Limited (SAMTL) and the Nigerian Stockbrokers Limited (NSL) from 2009 to 2011. In the combined capacities, her role required legal professionalism and business mastery given the complexities and challenges surrounding banking business. Thus, Justina has drafted, reviewed, and advised on many complex transactions and agreements on project and asset-based financing, public & private debt-equity issues, loan syndications, Power, Oil & Gas, Mergers & Acquisitions, etc. A significant part of her function also involved negotiating and settling disputes arising from customer/banker business relationships and employee management.

Justina has served as a resource person/panelist on customer/banker relationships, mediation, the Role of Legal Department in a bank, the Role of the Company Secretary & General Counsel and career development issues at Training/conferences and is a recipient of the following awards among others:

  • General Counsel of the Year 2016 awarded by ESQ Nigerian Legal Awards
  • General Counsel of the Year 2017 awarded by Law Digest Africa Awards
  • Banking and Finance Team of the Year 2018 awarded by ESQ Nigerian Legal Awards
  • Corporate Legal Counsel of the Year 2019 awarded by Trek Africa

She is a member of several professional bodies including the Nigerian Bar Association, Chairperson, In-House and Government Counsel Forum Lagos branch, the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (HCIB), the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ACIS), the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (MCIArb UK) and Institute of Directors of Nigeria (M.IoD), Nigeria’s Delegate to ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR.