Prior to setting up my own practice, I worked in the law firm of Danladi Bamaiyi and Co., from 1991 and rose to the position of Head of Chambers until 2003 when I voluntarily resigned. I am a Dispute Resolution expert – A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and a seasoned dispute resolution expert, I am a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, United Kingdom (FCIArb) and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators (FICMC). I am currently on the Panel of Arbitrators of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) and a member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration at the Hague representing Nigeria. Learn More
As an advocate, I have handled several notable cases which have had significant impact on the Nigerian legal landscape. One of such cases is Re: Abdullahi, (2018) 14 NWLR (Part 1639) 272, where together with my team, I convinced the Supreme Court of Nigeria to reach a novel decision, allowing the substitution of a deceased appellant in a criminal case with the administrators of his estate for the purpose of preserving the civil rights in his estate. Prior to this, I was in the national spotlight as counsel in the Human Rights Violation Investigation Commission of Nigeria – The Oputa Panel – set up by President Olusegun Obasanjo, following the country’s return to Democracy in 1999. Beyond litigation, I have advised on some project finance and facility disbursement matters and have served on arbitral tribunals as sole arbitrator, co-arbitrator, presiding arbitrator and counsel
I have also had the privilege of serving our great country. Indeed, I was appointed by the Federal Government of Nigeria to serve as a Member of the Panel of Conciliators of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) from July 2016 until July 2022. I was also a member of the Governing Council of the Kebbi State University of Science and Technology, Aliero, Kebbi State from 2015 to 2019; and also served as Chairman of the 2020 Conference Planning Committee of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb).
Outside the field of law, I have invested a part of my time towards social work and community development as a way of giving back to the community that made me. I am a graduate of Rhema Bible Training Centre, Nigeria, where I obtained a Diploma in Ministerial Training, with emphasis on Societal Leadership. I am thus a community development and welfare enthusiast, and I have been responsible for several free medical outreaches that has benefitted hundreds of persons in my home state of Kebbi. I am also patron of Purpose Global Academy in D’lanko, Kebbi State, a school that was established nearly 2 decades ago as my pet project. I am happily married to Zainab Maikyau for over two decades and it has pleased God to bless our marriage with Four (4) children.
© 2025 All Rights Reserved. Y.C Maikyau, OON, SAN
“the legal practitioner lives for the direction of his people and the advancement of the cause of his country” – Sir Christopher Sapara Williams
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