By Charles Pemu 
Abuja – Hadiza Bala Usman, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Coordination, has vehemently denied allegations by BUA Group Chairman, Abdul Samad Rabiu, that the revocation of BUA’s port concession during her leadership at the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) was politically motivated.
In a statement released on Saturday, Bala Usman labeled Rabiu’s claims as “misleading” and a tactic to sidestep BUA’s failure to uphold its contractual commitments under a 20-year concession agreement. She directly refuted Rabiu’s assertion in a recent article that BUA’s concession was abruptly terminated without prior notice.
Bala Usman clarified that BUA had received multiple default notices as far back as 2014, predating her 2016 appointment as NPA Managing Director. She detailed that BUA’s 2006 concession agreement for Rivers Port Terminal B mandated the reconstruction of Berths 5–8 within 90 days, a crucial obligation unfulfilled for a decade.
The NPA issued default notices in February 2016 and again in August 2016 under her tenure. Following BUA’s continued inaction, a termination notice was issued in November 2016. While BUA secured a court injunction in January 2018 to continue operations, Bala Usman affirmed that the NPA fully complied with the court order.
“The process was lawful and based on consistent non-compliance. This was not political,” Bala Usman asserted. She further criticized Rabiu’s implication of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s intervention, stating, “Using political access to override due process undermines accountability and weakens institutions.”
Bala Usman urged BUA to prioritize responsible corporate conduct, fulfill its obligations, invest in infrastructure, and respect Nigerian institutions, rather than using media to deflect from its contractual breaches.