BUA Group has called on Hadiza Bala Usman, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Coordination and former Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), to specify the exact clauses of the port concession agreement that her company allegedly violated. This call comes after Usman defended her decision to revoke the concession agreement with the NPA.

According to BUA, their lease agreement with the NPA for Terminal B at Rivers Port began in 2006, and discussions to address infrastructure issues were already underway before Usman assumed office. However, instead of continuing these discussions, Usman allegedly used a procedural letter about environmental and safety concerns as justification to terminate the agreement and shut down the terminal without prior warning or recourse to the dispute resolution clause.

“We have taken note of recent public statements made by Ms. Hadiza Bala Usman, the former Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), who was sacked from office. In her comments, she accused BUA Group and our Chairman, Abdul Samad Rabiu, of breaching a concession agreement and distorting facts,” BUA stated.

BUA further accused Usman of disregarding existing court judgments and the arbitration process initiated under former President Muhammadu Buhari. The company claimed that the Federal High Court granted an injunction restraining the NPA from proceeding with termination, but Usman proceeded to decommission the berths unilaterally, which BUA described as “unauthorized and illegal.”

“If Ms Hadiza Bala-Usman believes she acted lawfully, we challenge her to cite the specific clause or clauses that guided her unlawful actions if not let the facts remain where they belong; in the public record,” BUA said.

The company also highlighted that a legal review panel set up by President Buhari concluded that Usman’s actions were improper and that the new NPA leadership reversed her decisions to uphold the integrity of the contract. BUA invested over $65 million in reconstruction works, with completion expected in the first quarter of 2026.

BUA emphasized that the case highlights broader concerns about investor confidence and the rule of law in Nigeria, warning that if actions like Usman’s go unchecked, it could damage Nigeria’s reputation as a business destination. “We must state clearly that this matter goes beyond BUA,” the company stated.