Aliko Dangote, As Well As the Sec - Nuga Jr (Born 29 April 1953) Is Ond Richest Person in Africa
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2 The BOSS NEWSPAPER B O S S O F T H E W E E K ABDULSAMAD ISYAKU RABIU: BUSINESSMAN WITH MIDAS TOUCH Blessing Ehidiamen hat could be facturing, infrastructure Khalifah Isyaku Rabiu, one business and made better more fulfilling and agriculture with rev - of Nigeria’s foremost in - gains than his father would knowing for a enue in excess of $2.5 bil - dustrialists in the 1970s have made. Wfact that you are not just a lion. BUA international and 1980s, he attended He is gifted with the member of any club but a Limited was established in the Capital University in ability to turn situations member of the global bil - 1988 for the sole purpose Columbus, Ohio, and re - around. As a young Execu - lionaire’s club? One of of commodity trading. The turned to Nigeria at the tive Director at his father’s Nigeria’s top business company is into the impor - age of 24 to oversee his company, Abdulsamad was moguls, Abdulsamad tation of Rice, edible oil, family’s business. proficient enough to steer Isyaku Rabiu, has the per - flour and iron and steel. At a time when his the family’s business out of fect answer. The tycoon Abdulsamad is not father was unavoidably ab - trouble created by the ab - whom Forbes had esti - only a top player in the sent, he mustered the sence of their father. Prior mated his wealth at $1.2 business sector, but also craftsmanship and sheer to this, Alhaji Isyaku Rabiu billion in 2013 is the chair - has a stint with the finan - spirit of an industrialist was already one of the man/CEO of BUA . cial world as he is the which he got from his fa - richest Nigerians of his era, BUA a group is a Chairman of Nigerian Bank ther, Abdulsamad man - sponsoring the National Nigeria- based conglomer - of Industry. Born on August aged to turn around the Party of Nigeria, the ruling ate with interests in manu - 4, 1960 in Kano, Nigeria, to situation, sustained the political party at that time. BOSS OF THE WEEK The BOSS NEWSPAPER 3 His ascension saddled with so It was follow - refinery in sub-Saha - engineering service to high standard did many things; I had to ing the resuscitation ran Africa, breaking provider, to con - not come on a plat - make a lot of impor - of The family busi - the all year long mo - struct a second pro - ter of gold, and this tant decisions, and ness and the land he nopoly in the sugar duction line at its much he said to don’t forget that this inherited from his fa - refinery and distribu - flagship Obu Cement Forbes Africa happened suddenly, ther that he estab - tion market, a feat Plant, located in Edo “It was very at the time, there lished BUA. BUA that set him apart as State. His aim, which difficult. When we were three ships International Limited an entrepreneur of he graciously started, our dad was being discharged, got a boost in 1990, distinction. achieved, was to not there. There was rice and sugar ships. when it was con - The quest to double the capacity this huge vacuum, The government tacted by the then leave his comfort and expand BUA’s because of his per - agencies tried to government owned zone made him ex - then 10% market sonality. He grew the seize the goods; so Delta Steel Company pand the company’s share in Nigerian ce - business, he did we were discharging, to supply it with its cement production ment. Abdulsamad everything, every - they were taking, we finished products. by signing a $600 became the Chair - body reported to were taking back. It His expertise million deal with Si - man of Cement Com - him, and then he was a big, big issue. in business led to his mona International pany of Northern wasn’t there any - Those kinds of things company, BUA, com - Engineering, a Chi - Nigeria PLC on Feb - more. So at a very were really challeng - missioning the sec - nese cement equip - ruary 2, 2010. tender age, I was ing“ ond largest oil ment and Abdulsamad 4 The BOSS NEWSPAPER BOSS OF THE WEEK worked his way to coup. Then there around. They Aminu Kano Teach - penthouse at The transforming his mil - was the issue of the grounded the small ing Hospital as well One & Only Hotel, in lions into billions planes; there were plane for two years as the construction Cape Town, worth through a series of two private jets and but it was released of the Centre for Is - $12.6 million. Rabiu’s radical decisions we didn’t know what after [my father] was lamic Studies at the taste for good living after another, to do with them. We released from deten - Bayero University is plain to see; he has thereby giving debt couldn’t fly them. tion.” Kano amongst oth - bought homes from rise to the empire They actually Abdul Samad ers. Eaton Square to that it as becom3 grounded the jets. Rabiu understood Besides his as - Bishop Avenue Road, today. According to We were able to get the dictates of to sets in the BUA also known as Mil - him, during one of the big one out and whom much is Group, Rabiu owns lionaires’ Row. his turbulent periods we decided we didn’t given… as he estab - property in Britain Rabiu jets when there seems to need it. I just got rid lished the BUA Foun - worth $62 million around the world on be no way to ad - of it. [My father] was dation which is used and in South Africa, an 8-seater Gulf - stream G550 worth vance ahead: in detention, so who for his philanthropic worth $19 million. $44.9 million, pow - “The biggest chal - was going to be fly - activities. These Among his proper - ered by a Rolls-Royce lenge was that there ing a private jet at include the construc - ties is a house in BR710 turbofan en - were restrictions on that time with the tion of a 7,000 Gloucester Square in gine, as well as an confirming letters of Major-General Square meter paedi - London worth nearly $18-million Legacy credit because of the Muhammadu Buhari atric ward at the $16 million and a 600 aircraft. 5 The BOSS NEWSPAPER NEWS We Must Not Let Our Culture, Heritage Die - Ooni of Ife Eric Elezuo hen the progen - cently when he reviewed gels, a part of his own who the its passage to the next itor of the the potency of the black are being set out for differ - generation is the only thing Yoruba race man’s culture, using the ent assignments. As we that keeps it alive. sWpeaks, it is like the oracles Yoruba tradition and the have the structure and the While eulogizing the have spoken; it is com - events leading to the origin throne on earth, so do we efforts of the forebears in pared to the voice of a of Lagos as a bedrock. In his have in heaven.” the creation of Lagos, the deity. Not just any deity, analysis, the Oba noted The oba said that Ojaja II noted that every - but a deity that has the last that what many refer to as the people’s culture is alive one in Lagos is there be - say. The typical decider! idol worship in the black and remains alive so long cause of the ancestors, Who else could this de - man’s way of life is far from as people remain who gave their all to bring scription fit if not the first the truth, stressing that “Our culture is to past the city called among equals of all Yoruba ‘we are not idol worship - something that gives up an Lagos. obas, the one and only pers’. He said: edge that must be upheld, “All of us in Lagos Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye “We are all messen - that must be kept, and con - are here because of our an - Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II. gers of the Almighty Olodu - sciously followed, and the cestors. The foundation has The oba, who is reputed as mare, the creator of same message must be been laid for all of us to the custodian of the Yoruba heavens and earth. We are passed to the next genera - come together in one culture, was at his best re - his servants; we are his an - tion,” he said stressing that peace and in one accord, NEWS The BOSS NEWSPAPER 6 and for all of us to benefit awon asiwaju se adura lati cestors established great entourage got a place, the from the celebration of one KO WA Ayo wo ilu Eko, Olo - emerging technologies, ‘ipese’ gave them a good of the greatest cities in the dumare a tun Bo ma ko ire and so they must not be sign, ‘ipese ori, ipese ri, ase world. Eko a gbe gbogbo wo ile gbogbo wa oo.” forgotten. He added that ori, ise ori.’ Today, that is wa o (Lagos will be good to He added that Lagos the only way to remember what has become ‘iseri all of us). Ilu Eko a Gbe WA is one of the biggest and honour them is to sus - olofin, iseri.’ ‘iseri olofin’. s’owo, a Gbe WA s’ola, a colonies in the world, be - tain their way of life, which He revealed that the inven - Gbe wa si alafia (the city of cause it has very ‘strong is culture. tion of glass technology Lagos will bring to us link to our culture, a very He eulogised Olofin started with the group, and money, wealth and good strong link to our tradition, Ogunfunminire, the Prince the western world devel - health).” and a very strong lead to of Ife, offspring of Olofin oped it.