By Eric Elezuo
On November 4, 2023, Africa’s accomplished industrialist and billionaire businessman, Abdulsamad Rabiu, the ebullient Chairman of BUA Group, will step out in style to be bestowed with the prestigious Leadership Excellence Awards (LEEX Awards), which he has just won as The Man of the Year.
The LEEX Awards was endorsed in 2020 by the African Union Economic, Social and Cultural Council (AU-ECOSOCC), and in 2021 by the African Union Film Institute (AFI).
The award, the fifth in a row, and organised annually by IgbereTV, recognises and honours the outstanding impacts of leaders across both the public and private sectors in Nigeria as well as promotes outstanding leaders and personalities, whose impacts have been felt in Nigeria’s political, social and economic spheres.
Abdulsamad Rabiu’s consistent climb on the ladder of success has become phenomenal. The unassuming Chairman at Bua Group has become a study in entrepreneurial discipline, craft, philanthropy and intentional sacrifice. But what can actually be said of a man, who has steadily evolved as one of Africa’s biggest investors, in fact, the biggest in the order of reckoning in Nigeria Exchange. He has graciously used his BUA Foundation and the phenomenal Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative to not only affect lives, but ensured that the people of world, especially his native Nigeria, live in defined comfort. He is Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Bua Group, makers of quality cement, sugar among other wonderful household items.
The BUA chairperson polled a total of 568,247 votes to defeat other nominees. The polls were monitored by News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Rabiu’s surge in wealth can be attributed to the remarkable growth in the market value of his stake in his unified food business, BUA Foods. The company currently ranks fifth most valuable on the Nigerian Exchange as at the last month.
Additionally, Rabiu owns a 92.6-percent stake in BUA Foods, which is currently worth $3 billion, bringing the total value of his holdings to $6.01 billion.
The company reported an impressive profit growth of 77.1 percent in the first quarter of 2023, with profits rising from N22.84 billion ($47.6 million) to N4046 billion ($87.58 million).
In May 2023, Rabiu dusted South African billionaire Nicky Oppenheimer, who currently has a net worth of $8.4 billion to hit third richest man position in Africa, with $8.6 billion. Abdul Samad Rabiu’s net worth has risen by over $3.7 billion in the past year, from $4.9 billion. He is a consistent achiever.
Early in 2022, he supervised the opening of a three million metric tonnes per annum BUA Cement Sokoto Line 4 Factory or 3MPTA BUA cement, line 4 cement plant, in Sokoto, which the then president, Muhammadu Buhari, commissioned, describing him as the biggest investor in Nigeria’s northwest region.
A thoroughbred stickler to excellence, Rabiu ensured that the BUA Cement Sokoto Line 4 was built to the following specifications: three million metric tonnes per annum capacity; 6,000 TPD ILC with the highest energy efficiency and latest pollution abating equipment; 48 MW dual fuel power Plant and so on. The Line 5 is already in the works.
Rabiu’s friends and colleagues in the industry, have not minced worlds as they have described as an entrepreneur who knows his onions as well as an industrialist of importance. His continuous feature on the Forbes list of billionaires in the world,is as a result of his inclination to creating millionaires through the provision of veritable employment opportunities, with special focus on those of his northwest origin. Today, he is the third richest man in Africa, and the richest investor in Nigeria Exchange.
THE INVINCIBLE ABDULSAMAD RABIU
Born August 4, 1960, in Kano, to one of Nigeria’s foremost industrialists in the 1970s and 1980s, Khalifah Isyaku Rabiu, Abdul Samad Isyaku Rabiu CON is a perfect combination of many things in one.
It was in his native Kano that he kick started his academic pursuit, carousing through elementary education with ease as a gifted child, and obtained his First School Leaving Certificate. He was later admitted into the Federal Government College, Kano, where he had his secondary education, and gradually with honours.
With a combination of fate, brilliance and determination, Abdulsamad was catapulted to Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, where he studiously studied Economics, and acquired his tertiary education before returning to Nigeria, all before his 24th birthday, to oversee his family business. He was that much sort after, and highly brilliant, and considered capable of holding fort for his father, who was being detained by the administration of General Muhammadu Buhari over matters concerning import duties.
In 1988, just after learning the ropes of entrepreneurial excellence, Abdul Samad Rabiu established BUA International Limited, for the sole purpose of commodity trading. The company followed after the footsteps of his father, and imported rice, edible oil, flour, and iron and steel.
In 1990, having exhibited the character worthy of a world class entrepreneur, and the ability to execute classical projects, Rabiu’s BUA was invited by the government, which owned Delta Steel Company to supply its raw materials in exchange for finished products. This provided a much-needed leverage for the young company, and consequently expanded further into steel, producing billets, importing iron ore, and constructing multiple rolling mills in Nigeria.
Rabiu’s dexterity showed further a few years later, when the company acquired Nigerian Oil Mills Limited, the largest edible oil processing company in Nigeria, and there erupted the company’s and BUA’s influence and care over the people in the provision of affordable edible oil. His passion to see people excel in comfort has continued to make him churn out one great tiding after another, and endearing him in the hearts of the generality of the public.
A man with a vision for tomorrow, Rabiu, in 2005, started two flour-milling plants, in Lagos and in Kano, and by 2008, had broken an eight-year monopoly in the Nigerian sugar industry by commissioning the second-largest sugar refinery in sub-Saharan Africa. This was a feat only a bravest of hearts could wroth. As a result, in 2009 the company went on to acquire a controlling stake in a publicly-listed Cement Company in Northern Nigeria and began to construct a $900 million cement plant in Edo State, completing it in early 2015. Rabiu’s passion for expansion is unequalled.
BUA Group has since concentrated and excelled in manufacturing, infrastructure and agriculture and producing a revenue in excess of $2.5 billion. This is in addition to being the chairman of the Bank of Industry (BOI).
The Group, in 2019, announced plans to merge its privately owned Obu Cement with the publicly traded Cement Company of Northern Nigeria Plc (CCNN), to create Nigeria’s second largest cement producer thereby consolidating the grip on the cement market and breaking its monopolistic status.
It is worthy of note that Cement Company of Northern Nigeria PLC in which Rabiu owned more than 97% was producing two million metric tons of cement per annum (Mtpa) while Obu Cement has an annual production capacity of 6Mtpa. The move is in line with the company’s resolve to deepen the Nigerian capital markets and enhance the growth of the cement industry.
Rabiu’s expansion strides cannot be complete without a mention of his extraordinary philanthropic gestures.
In April 2020, he made a whopping donation towards the fight to contain the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic presently ravaging the country.
In a letter dated April 24, 2020, he personally signed and addressed to The Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, the billionaire businessman, congratulated the duo of the Task Force and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) for doing a good job while observing that much as so much has been done, there was still need to do a lot more, as the disease continued to make inroads into many parts of the country, especially Lagos and Kano states.
“I view with deep concern, the increased rate of spread of the Coronavirus, especially in Kano and Lagos states despite concerted collective efforts to curb the spread and effects of the virus in Nigeria,” he said.
With sincere reference to ‘what is going on, especially in Kano at the moment’ the philanthropist, who had earlier donated N1 billion to the private sector led CACOVID and other states, announced the release of another N3.3 billion ‘grant to the working group made up of the Presidential Task Force, NCDC and other stakeholders in equipping two existing permanent facilities in Kano and Lagos states’.
He said: “To this end, I am immediately committing and making available – through the Bua Foundation two grants of Two Billion Naira for the Kano-based intervention and One Billion Naira for Lagos State being the two epicentres of this virus in Nigeria.”
Rabiu also informed that “a sum of N300 million will also be made available immediately in cash to the Presidential Task Force to assist with logistical and operational activities of the taskforce. This grant is in addition to BUA’s earlier contributions to the private sector led CA-COVID coalition and donations to other states.”
Rabiu’s BUA had in March through a confirmed funds transfer to the COVID-19 relief fund account with the Central Bank of Nigeria redeemed its pledge of N1billion ($2.6m) to the fight against COVID-19. In addition, the company also announced another donation of N300 million to Sokoto, Edo and Ogun States to assist in galvanizing a coordinated response and adequate preparedness in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in this states. The donations to Sokoto and Edo States were on behalf of its Cement subsidiary, BUA Cement which has its major operations in those states whilst Ogun was also selected as a beneficiary due to its proximity to Lagos which had been the epicenter of the virus in Nigeria.
In total, Rabiu and his group donated N4.6 billion to the fight against the dreaded pandemic in a addition to other incentives, making them the single highest donor as at date.
Rabiu has constantly used his BUA Foundation for his philanthropic activities. Some of them include the construction of a 7,000-square-meter paediatric ward at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital and the construction of the Centre for Islamic Studies at Bayero University Kano amongst several others.
He is known to have signed several major deals with French companies in recent times, from Axens as technical partner to his new refinery, to a 300tn plasterboard factory deal with French construction giant St Gobain. He followed it up with listing a segment of his business empire on the Lagos Stock Exchange.
In June 2021 therefore, when French President Emmanuel Macron inaugurated the France-Nigeria Business Council, a private sector initiative to enhance business relations between the two countries, Abdul Samad Rabiu, was appointed its inaugural President. He had earlier been appointed Chairman of the France Nigeria Investment Club. These appointments drew encomiums from high places including President Muhammadu Buhari.
The BUA founder recently came to the aid of the Nigerian educational system with a 5.5 billion naira grant for infrastructural development to 22 universities and other tertiary institutions. The grant came under the ASR Tertiary Education Grants Scheme.
Practically every woman’s dream, Abdul Samad is married to his beautiful wife, and they are blessed with children, among whom are Isyaku Rabiu, Junaid Rabiu, Rukkayah Rania Rabiu and Khadijah Rabiu. He has 42 siblings including Nafiu Rabiu and Rabiu Rabiu, the chairman of IRS Airlines.
Rabiu’s abilities are compared only with the best. He is a force to reckon with in the field of enterprise and human capacity building. He is quite a gift to Nigeria, and the world.
Attesting to Rabiu’s business ingenuity is not rocket science. Here is a man, who has taken his family-business practically to the next generation. It is a feat of no mean value considering that he is thriving in a country where businesses die with their founding fathers.
Once again, congratulations sir, and wishing you many more grounds to conquer.
