BUA Group has announced that it is investing over $65 million—entirely self-funded—to reconstruct Terminal B of the Rivers Port Complex, with the project expected to be completed in Q1 2026.
In a statement released on Sunday, BUA addressed allegations made by former NPA Managing Director Hadiza Bala Usman, who claimed the company violated its concession agreement at the terminal.
BUA refuted the claims, stating that the reconstruction was formally approved in 2022 after the Nigerian Ports Authority, under new leadership, implemented a directive from the Attorney General of the Federation.
BUA Group added that the rehabilitation contract for Terminal B of the Rivers Port Complex was awarded to Italian engineering firm TREVI.
The company emphasized that the over $65 million investment is being executed entirely without public funds or government subsidies.
“Following Ms. Usman’s removal from office, the NPA, under new leadership, implemented the AGF’s position. In 2022, BUA was granted formal approval to resume reconstruction works.
The contract was awarded to TREVI, and BUA has since invested over $65 million—entirely self-funded and with no recourse to public funds or subsidies. Work is ongoing and completion is expected in the first quarter of 2026,” the statement read in part.
The dispute began in June 2019 when the Nigerian Ports Authority, under the leadership of Hadiza Bala Usman, declared berths 6 and 7 of Terminal B unsafe and ordered BUA Ports and Terminals Ltd to cease operations. In response, BUA challenged the directive, citing an active concession agreement and a standing court injunction that protected its operational rights.
Despite the ongoing legal proceedings, BUA alleged that the Hadiza-led NPA proceeded to decommission the facility. According to BUA, this action disregarded due process, violated the court’s directive, and damaged investor confidence in Nigeria’s port sector.
In early 2020, BUA Chairman Abdul Samad Rabiu personally intervened by appealing to then-President Muhammadu Buhari, prompting the escalation of the dispute to the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami (SAN).
In a letter dated June 1, 2020, Malami cited a presidential directive ordering the NPA to withdraw its termination notice, reverse the decommissioning of berths 6 and 7, and reopen the terminal.
He also advised both parties to discontinue ongoing arbitration and pursue an amicable resolution.
The NPA complied with this directive only after the removal of Hadiza Bala Usman as Managing Director in 2021. By 2022, BUA received formal approval to resume reconstruction works at Terminal B.
BUA stated that the terminal is essential to its $500 million industrial complex in Port Harcourt, which includes facilities for flour, pasta, and sugar production. The company emphasized that the disruption threatened over 4,000 jobs and resulted in estimated losses exceeding $10 million.
