Earlier this year, Nigerian billionaire businessman and Industrialist, Abdul Samad Rabiu was nominated for the African Leadership Magazine Persons of the Year Award polls, in the Employment Generation category. A category open to Africans whose actions, policies and businesses have helped in creating jobs for Africans. To many, his nomination was not surprising, given the far-reaching impact of contributions to socio-economic development on the continent.
The annual African Leadership Magazine Persons of the Year Award polls, which is a leading vote-based third-party endorsement in the continent, has, in the last eight years, become a referendum of some sort by Africans on purposeful and impact-oriented leadership in the continent. And with Africans nominating their best all-round the year, Rabiu was sure to be found among the greats.
This week, we are profiling the Nigerian Billionaire businessman and Industrialist, Abdul Samad Rabiu CON as African of the Week. He is the founder and chairman of BUA Group, a Nigerian conglomerate with interests in manufacturing, infrastructure, agriculture, logistics, and port operations. The Group produces revenue above $2.5 billion and has created numerous jobs, in Africa’s most populous nation. He is also the chairman of the Nigerian Bank of Industry.
Abdul Samad Rabiu has contributed immensely to socio-economic development in Nigeria, through employment generation, and infrastructure, industry, and infrastructure development. He has also been relentless in his contributions to the fight against the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria.
In march 2020, to strengthen national response to COVID-19 in Nigeria, the Industrialist announced a cash donation of one billion naira, through BUA Foundation, the philanthropic arm of BUA Group. He also made an additional donation of equipment and medical supplies including testing kits and medical protective gear which were air freighted to Lagos, Kano, Adamawa, Edo, Kwara, Rivers, Abia, Akwa-Ibom and Sokoto states in Nigeria.
During the donation, he noted that each of the states would receive about 100,000 protective facemasks, 1000 high-grade medical protection and isolation gear, 2000 protective goggles, 1000 gloves and 1000 testing kits amongst other things.
As the fight against the pandemic continues, the Nigerian Industrialist has remained relentless in his efforts help mitigate the impact of the pandemic on the economy. And as we observed with deep concern, the increased rate of the spread of the coronavirus especially in the epicentres of Kano and Lagos Nigeria, despite collective efforts to curb the spread and effects of the virus, the Industrialist in a breathtaking swoop redoubled his efforts to help contain the pandemic by making available through BUA Foundation an additional N3.3 billion-grant. To a working group made up of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, the NCDC and other stakeholders in equipping two existing permanent facilities in Kano and Lagos states while collaborating with the teaching hospitals in those states.
Most recently, in June 2020, Lagos State COVID-19 response received five ambulances and two hundred million naira through the BUA Foundation. The Group Chief Operating Officer of BUA Group, Chimaobi Madukwe, presented the COVID-19 response ambulances, and cheque to the First Lady of Lagos State, Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu. Who described the donation as critical to the COVID-19 fight, while thanking the Foundation, and the BUA Chairman, Abdul Samad Rabiu, for the gesture.
By Boma Benjy – Iwuoha
