How One Fine-Print Clause Cost a Lagos Lawyer ₦180m

Back in 2019, Damilola Savage was the sharpest new associate at a top Lagos firm. She worked nights, weekends and holidays to bag big deals. In 2023, she was made partner and signed a 47-page agreement without reading it fully. A hidden clause on page 31 gave the firm all client relationships. Soon after, her longtime client Dangote Agro was reassigned. That ₦180 million brief was taken from her. She sued and took the matter to the Federal High Court in Lagos. A veteran litigator unearthed a key detail: Dangote Agro was her pre-existing client. The court ruled in her favour. She left the firm and opened her own practice. Dangote Agro returned as her first client. By year end, she had eleven new accounts. This is not fiction. It happens every week in Nigeria. Trust is not a substitute for reading. Every clause has a price. If you are about to sign, pause. Read every word.

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