Hadiza Bala Usman, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Coordination, has refuted claims made by the BUA Group regarding the termination of their port concession, labelling these assertions as ‘misleading.’ She insists that the issues stem from contractual breaches rather than political motivations.
In a statement released on Saturday, Bala Usman expressed her discontent with BUA Group Chairman Abdul Samad Rabiu’s continued promotion of a narrative that shifts the blame onto government actions. She emphasised that this narrative seeks to divert attention from the company’s documented violations of their concession agreement with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).
Bala Usman referenced a recent article titled “Two Years of President Tinubu: A Business Perspective,” in which Rabiu portrayed BUA Group as a victim of arbitrary governmental decisions. She categorically dismissed these claims as false.
Rabiu’s article stated, “We no longer worry about arbitrary shutdowns or politically-motivated disruptions… One day, we woke up to a letter stating that the concession had been revoked… There was no warning, no issue, no conflict.” However, Bala Usman countered that the BUA Group had received numerous official notifications regarding their failure to fulfil contractual obligations, many of which were issued prior to her appointment as MD of the NPA.
She explained that BUA Ports and Terminal Limited entered into a 20-year concession agreement for Rivers Port Terminal B on May 11, 2006, with the terminal handed over on August 10, 2006. A core requirement of this agreement mandated the commencement of full reconstruction of Berths 5–8 within 90 days of handover. However, a decade later, BUA had yet to undertake any rehabilitation.
Bala Usman noted that a notice of default was issued to BUA on February 11, 2016, well before she took office, referencing earlier correspondence from May 19, 2014, and February 3, 2016. This notice reminded BUA of its failure to initiate improvements on the reconstruction of Berths 5-8 as stipulated in the development plan.
A second notice of default was issued on August 17, 2016, during her tenure. Following BUA’s continued inaction, a three-month termination notice was issued on November 11, 2016. Bala Usman highlighted that BUA later obtained a restraining order from the Federal High Court on January 18, 2018, which the NPA respected, allowing BUA to continue operations without interference.
She clarified that the records demonstrate adherence to due process, asserting that the decision to terminate the concession was not arbitrary but the result of years of documented non-compliance.
Bala Usman remarked on Rabiu’s claim of intervention from then-President Muhammadu Buhari, asserting that seeking such intervention instead of honouring contractual agreements undermined transparency.
“While boasting about his access to former President Muhammadu Buhari, Mr. Rabiu fails to mention that he used this access to misinform the former president, seeking political intervention to override contractual accountability and institutional due process,” she stated.
Bala Usman lamented that instead of recognising its shortcomings, BUA Group has opted for media manipulation, insinuating malfeasance on the part of public officials. She concluded that no amount of name-dropping or self-victimisation can obscure the evident pattern of contractual violations by the company.
“If BUA genuinely wishes to aid Nigeria’s development, it must act as a responsible corporate citizen—one that honours agreements, invests in infrastructure, and respects the institutions of the Federal Republic,” Bala Usman asserted.
