A dispute over port concession contracts between one of Nigeria’s largest business concerns, BUA Group, and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has reverberated seven years after former President Muhammadu Buhari resolved it.
An article published by Abdul Samad Rabiu, the chairman of the BUA Group, to commemorate the second anniversary in office of Mr Buhari’s successor, President Bola Tinubu, refreshed the dispute.
In the article published on 29 May, Mr Rabiu recalled how the NPA terminated the contracts with the BUA Group in 2019, jeopardising the company’s $500 million investment in Terminal B of the Port Harcourt Port and putting over 4,000 jobs at risk.
He said the notice to revoke the concession, terminate the lease agreement, and shut down the terminal came without prior warning.
However, Mr Samad’s recollection of the issues drew the ire of Hadiza Usman, the Managing Director of the NPA at the time of the dispute. Ironically, Ms Usman now serves as Special Adviser on Policy Coordination to President Tinubu.
Ms Usman, who led the NPA from 2016 to 2021, dismissed Mr Rabiu’s claims as “blatant falsehoods.” She said BUA Group received multiple notifications and warnings for failing to meet contractual obligations, adding that the issues predated her appointment as the NPA Managing Director
