Two months and a day after it announced the suspension of Zion Adeoye as CEO, the Centurion Law Group (CLG) has officially announced the appointment of his replacement.
Oneyka Cindy Ojogbo is the new Managing Partner of CLG, an influential pan-African law firm founded by the Cameroonian lawyer N. J. Ayuk in 2007.
Not a single word in the announcement mentioned the status of the suspended CEO.
Adeoye was suspended for alleged gross misconduct. In a November 28, 2025 announcement, the company declared that the Nigerian lawyer was presumed innocent, pending an investigation. “The suspension in no way constitutes any finding of wrongdoing” CLG explained in the release, adding that the suspension was “regarded as a necessary step to ensure an unhindered investigation”, adding, “an outside firm has been hired to support the investigation”.
Ousted: Zion Adeoye
CLG describes Ojogbo, also a Nigerian national, as “a distinguished energy and finance attorney, now heads the firm’s operations across eight African jurisdictions, including South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, Congo, Namibia, Senegal, Gabon, Cameroon, Mauritius and Libya, as well as its strategic European office in Germany. Her appointment reflects her exceptional leadership, deep sector expertise and proven ability to drive cross-border legal and business advisory services.
Originally headquartered in Equatorial Guinea, CLG was the platform on which its charismatic founder co-created Energy Capital & Power, a vehicle for curating hydrocarbon themed conferences all over the continent. The connections forged at these conferences, together with the extensive legal offerings of the CLG, starting from countries in the Central African region (Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Gabon and Congo Brazzaville), provided the springboard for the creation of the AEC.
A keen follower of the growth and spread of the CLG would be hard pressed to differentiate between CLG, Energy Capital & Power and AEC.
CLG moved its headquarters to Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2016. Ayuk, rose to become the Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber (AEC) in 2018.
Adeoye joined the firm as Senior Associate Attorney in May 2017. His previous role was Group Legal Counsel at Transnational Energy Group in Nigeria. In three years at CLG he was appointed Managing Director, with Mr. Ayuk still playing the Chief Executive role. Ayuk yielded his executive reins in the company to Adeoye in January 2024, to focus on his work at the AEC.
CLG says of its new helmsman: “Underscoring her expertise, Ojogbo’s academic credentials include an LL.M. from Columbia Law School, focusing on Finance and Projects, as well as an LL.B. from the University of Ibadan. She is licensed to practice law in both New York State and Nigeria and, recognized for her exceptional early career contributions, she received the Private Practice Rising Star Award at the African Legal Awards in 2020.
“As the youngest partner in CLG’s history, Oneyka Cindy Ojogbo’s career trajectory reflects her exceptional legal acumen and visionary leadership. Leading a team of over 50 lawyers across eight jurisdictions, her practice specializes in energy, infrastructure and projects financing, advising governments, investors and multinational sponsors on complex cross-border transactions while driving strategic innovation in legal service delivery”.
