BUA Group has released a detailed rebuttal accusing Hadiza Bala Usman, the former Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), of contractual violations, abuse of office, and contempt of court during her tenure, in response to recent remarks made by her alleging that the conglomerate breached a concession agreement.
Okay.ng reports that in a statement dated May 31, 2025, BUA said it was compelled to set the record straight following comments by Usman which attempted to discredit the company and its chairman, Abdul Samad Rabiu, after the publication of his interview titled “Two Years of President Tinubu: A Business Perspective.”
The video did not mention Usman by name but referenced past disruptions to business operations under her leadership at NPA.
The Group clarified that it entered a long lease agreement in 2006 with the NPA to rehabilitate and operate Terminal B at Rivers Port, with active dialogue ongoing to address infrastructure issues when Usman assumed office.
However, it accused her of unilaterally terminating the lease in 2016 without following the contract’s dispute resolution process.
“Ms. Usman used our formal notification of environmental concerns as a pretext to shut down the terminal without prior consultation or legal process,” the company said. “She acted in clear breach of the agreement and defied a court injunction.”
BUA stated that NPA itself was in violation of its contractual obligations at the time, including failure to hand over key parts of the terminal, dredge the quay walls, or ensure security—challenges that directly impacted BUA’s operations.
The company noted that after the illegal termination, it secured an injunction from the Federal High Court restraining the NPA, and the matter was subsequently referred to arbitration as provided in the contract. Despite this, BUA alleges that Usman defied legal advice, decommissioned the berths, and shut down operations again, leading to over $10 million in losses.
“Her actions were not only illegal but were also personally motivated and in contempt of court,” BUA stated, revealing that contempt proceedings were initiated but later withdrawn out of respect for national interest.
Responding to Usman’s claims that former President Muhammadu Buhari was misinformed when he reversed her actions, BUA called the claim “disrespectful and false.”
“President Buhari acted on thorough legal review conducted by the Attorney General, who ruled that the termination and decommissioning were unlawful,” the company said.
BUA credited Buhari’s intervention with saving over 4,000 jobs and preserving its $500 million investment cluster linked to the terminal. The Group also applauded President Bola Tinubu’s administration for restoring investor confidence and ensuring adherence to rule of law.
Following Usman’s exit, the company said it resumed construction at Terminal B with over $65 million already invested, and the project is expected to be completed in early 2026.
While reaffirming that Usman is “entitled to her opinions”, BUA insisted that “she is not entitled to rewrite history or distort facts.”
The company concluded by emphasizing the need for public office holders to act with integrity, noting that abuse of power, vendetta, and impunity should never be allowed to define governance in Nigeria.
“If Ms. Hadiza Bala Usman believes she acted lawfully, she should cite the clause that empowered her to decommission the terminal. If not, let the facts remain in the public record,” BUA declared.
