Bayo is a Partner and Head of the firms’ Energy and Extractive Group. He is listed in the ‘’Who’s Who Legal’’ directory as one of the top Oil and Gas law specialists in Nigeria and by the ‘’Legal 500 Europe, Middle East and Africa’’ directory as highly regarded for his scholarship and counsel. In addition to his legal background, Bayo also has some business training, having taken Corporate Finance Management, Financial Accounting, and Strategic Business Planning courses (to mention just a few), to qualify as a Chartered Secretary and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Secretaries & Administrators, United Kingdom (FCIS). He is also Fellow and Chartered Arbitrator, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, UK and Fellow, Energy Institute, UK (First Nigerian lawyer to be honoured). Earlier on in his career, Bayo was Legal Adviser and Company Secretary in a bank. He is a Notary Public for Nigeria and admitted by the Securities and Exchange Commission to carry out Capital Market Services. Bayo speaks regularly at International and local conferences and has published articles in leading globally acclaimed journals, including “Journal of World Energy Law and Business” (JWELB,) a joint publication of Oxford University Press and
AIPN), “Journal of Energy and Natural Resources Law” (publication of the IBA), “International Energy Law Review Journal” (publication of Sweet & Maxwell), “Arbitration International Journal” and “Journal of International Arbitration” (publications of Kluwer Law International), the Arbitrator (publication of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, UK) and Journal of World Investment & Trade.His works have been cited with approval in leading International academic books.
Bayo also has editorial responsibilities. He is Editor-in-Chief of Legos Court of Arbitration Journal of Arbitration and Dispute Settlement. He is a pioneer member of the editorial team of JWELB, and part of the editorial teams of Oil, Gas and Energy Law Intelligence (OGEL), Transnational Dispute Management (TDM) and the Nigerian Monthly Law Reports (NMLR). He is also Energy Law columnist of Thisday Newspaper, one of Nigeria’s widest circulating daily newspapers.
- Full Scholarship awarded by Devon Corporation Inc, United States to undertake Ph.D. degree.
- Member, Nigerian Bar Association
- Member, International Bar Association
- Member, International Law Association
- Member, Association of International Petroleum Negotiators (AIPN)
- Member, Energy Institute, UK
- Member, Institute of Energy Law, USA
- Member, Society for Petroleum Engineers
- Advised House of Representatives on Legal and Policy aspects of the Nigerian Petroleum Industry Bill
- Appointed Consultant to the Nigerian Content Developing Monitoring Board under Executive Secretaries Ernest Nwapa and Simbi Wabote from 2011 to date; advised on protectionist tendencies of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act and potential violations of the Act of Bilateral Investment Treaties, WTO and GATT; helped to develop framework for Local Content Fund; drafted two pieces of Regulation(Technology Transfer and Regime for Enforcement and Compliance with the Act); currently advising on amendment of the Nigerian Content Act
- Acted as lead Counsel on behalf of major IOC in Nigeria as Claimant in a major arbitral proceeding against another major IOC in an oil and gas related dispute involving claim over 1.6Million barrels of crude oil in which four separate experts gave evidence and DPR and NAPIMS staff where subpoenaed to give evidence
- Appointed to the Advisory Council of the Lagos Oil Club
- Appointed Vice Chair, Energy Institute, Nigeria branch
- Appointed Board member, Institute of Energy Law, USA
- Appointed Board member, International Institute of Petroleum and Energy Law & Policy
- “Mergers in the International Petroleum Industry: Legal Aspects on the Operations of Petroleum Development Companies in Nigeria” Journal of Energy & Natural Resources Law, 2003.
- “Navigating Dispute Settlement Claims in Nigeria’s Oil Sector” Oil, Gas, Energy Law Intelligence, 2007.
- “Nigeria’s Foreign Oil Companies: Are They Really Nigerian or Foreign?” Oil, Gas, Energy Law Intelligence, 2007.
- “Litigating Oil Pollution Claims: Are US Courts Really Viable”? Alexander’s Gas & Oil Connections, 2006.
- “Methods of Dispute Settlement for State Contracts in the Nigerian Petroleum Industry”. Arbitration Journal of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, UK, 2003.
- “Challenges in Enforcement of Arbitral Awards in the Jurisdiction of Capital Importing Sates: Nigeria’s Experience” Journal of International Arbitration, 2006.
- “Limitation Period for the Enforcement of Arbitral Awards in Nigeria” Arbitration International, 2006.
- “Special Project Vehicles in International Project Finance: Are they Road Worthy?” Chapter contribution in Infrastructure Projects: Current Financing Trends (ICFAI University Press, 2006).
- “Stabilizing Fiscal Regimes in Long Term Contracts: Recent Developments from Nigeria” Journal of World Energy Law & Business, 2008.
- “Foreign Private Participation in the Electricity Sector of Developing Countries: What Works? An Examination of Nigeria’s Reformed Electricity Sector” Journal of World Investment & Trade, 2009.
- “Application of Limitation Laws to Oil Spill Compensation Claims in Nigeria” Journal of African Law 2018.
- “The Legal Regime for Assignment of Assets and Interests in Nigeria upstream Petroleum Sector: A critique of the Decision in Mon Pulo vs Brass Exploration and DPRS Guidelines on Assignment of Interest. Journal of Energy and Natural Resources Law (Forthcoming)
- “The Nigerian Content Act: Does it have Protectionist Tendencies?’’ -Presentation at workshop organized for the House of Representatives Nigerian Content Committee, December 2013.
- ‘’Regulating West Africa FPSO Market: an Ocean of Opportunities or a Troubled Deep Water?’’- Presentation at FPSO Hot Spots West Africa Conference, 2013.
- ‘’Appraising the Effectiveness of the NOGCD Act in Nigeria Content Development’’- Presentation at Nigerian Content Board Senior Management Retreat, January 2015.
- “Security of Tenure in Nigeria’s Oil Licensing Regime”
- “Can the Nigerian NNPC Exploit Oil Without Exploration Rights?” Thisday 6th March, 2007
- “How Can NNPC Fund its Investment Options without Breaching the Constitution?” Thisday 5th December 2006
- “DPR’s Regulatory Powers in the Nigerian Oil Industry are Suspect” Thisday 5th September 2006
- “The 21st Century Petroleum Lawyer” Thisday 18th July 2006
- “Energy Law: Nigerian Lawyers not missing this Train” Thisday 31st July 2007
- “Is NEITI Really Delivering on Transparency?” Thisday August, 2007
- “Potential Flaws in Nigeria’s Energy Investment Protection Laws” Thisday 17th October 2006
- ” Recent Oil and Gas Reforms in Context” Thisday 21st September 2010
- “The Search for “Nigerian Company” in Local Content” Thisday 26th October 2010
- “Nigeria’s Foreign Oil Companies: Are they really Foreign or are they Nigerian?” Thisday 26th June 2007
- “The ECOWAS Court and its Jurisdiction over Nigeria’s Petroleum Sector” Thisday 16th August 2010
- “Nigerian Content Act: Changes to Expect” Thisday 14th December 2010
- “Why Domestic Litigation is becoming Attractive to IOCs” Thisday 8th March 2011
- “Gas Revolution: What’ll Change in Legal, Fiscal Regime?” Thisday 17th May 2011
- “Oil Exploration: Between Contractual and Public Rights” Thisday 11th April 2006
- “Navigating Dispute Settlement Mechanisms in Nigeria’s Oil Sector” Thisday 16th January 2007
- Nigerian Oil Pollution Claims: Are US Courts Really that Viable? Thisday 20th June 2006
- Attracting Private Participation in Our Electricity Sector Thisday August 2006
- “Mandatory Statutory Arbitration: Mere Devices for Foreign Investments?” Thisday Law 27th April 2004
- “Legal Writing-Important Tool for Law Development” (as Guest Columnist) Thisday Law 20th July 2004
- “Need for Specialised Regime in Nigeria Leal Practice” Thisday Law 7th October 2003
- “Still on Mandatory Arbitral Provisions in Nigerian Statutes” Thisday Law 21st December 2004
- “Tochi: Could FG Have Done More?” Thisday Law 6th February 2007
- “Its About Systems, Not the Individual” Thisday Law 12th September 2006
- “Legal and Regulatory Framework of the Telecommunications Sector in Nigeria” Guardian 10th October 2000
- “Lawyers Without Borders” Thisday Law 26th September 2006
- “The Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry-Post Privatisation Realities, Trends and Challenges”-Book Review Thisday Lawyer 16th February 2021