By Editor
At its 2025 Night of Excellence and Long Service Awards, BUA Group, the diversified Nigerian conglomerate has disbursed a remarkable ₦30 billion in cash awards to 510 employees—one of the largest single employee reward programmes ever undertaken by a private sector company in Nigeria.
But beyond the numbers lies a deeper business narrative about culture, continuity and competitive advantage in an economy where skilled talent retention has become increasingly difficult.
The awards recognised employees whose service spans from five years to more than four decades, honouring loyalty, resilience and exceptional contribution across BUA’s sprawling operations. From cement plants and sugar refineries to food manufacturing, logistics and infrastructure assets, the message was unambiguous: enduring enterprises are built by people who stay the course.
Founded in 1988, BUA Group has grown from modest beginnings into one of Africa’s most diversified industrial groups, with core interests in cement, sugar, flour, pasta, steel, rice, real estate, ports and terminals, construction and energy. Today, its listed entities command a combined market capitalisation running into trillions of naira—an outcome, the company insists, rooted as much in human capital as in financial investment.
Speaking at the ceremony, Founder and Executive Chairman Abdul Samad Rabiu framed the evening as recognition of shared ownership in the BUA journey. He recalled that while capital, strategy and governance matter, none of BUA’s milestones would have been possible without employees who believed in the vision long before success became visible.
“Every factory built, every system strengthened, every challenge overcome, and every milestone reached carries the imprint of employees who believed in the vision long before the results were visible,” Rabiu said.
Of the ₦30 billion disbursed, 41 employees in the highest award categories received their cheques physically from the Chairman during the event, due to time constraints. These awards ranged from ₦100 million to ₦1 billion, underscoring the Group’s willingness to recognise loyalty in tangible, life-changing terms. Sixteen employees received ₦100 million each, nine received ₦200 million, seven received ₦250 million, and three received ₦500 million, while five employees walked away with ₦1 billion each.
A special award, whose cash value was not disclosed at the event, was presented to Kabiru Rabiu in recognition of his exceptional loyalty, leadership and long-standing contribution to the growth and stability of the Group.
The remaining awardees had already received—or will receive—their plaques and cheques at their various plants and operational locations nationwide, reinforcing the Group’s decentralised and inclusive culture.
Rabiu was quick to note that the cash awards, however substantial, remain symbolic. “No amount of money can fully account for decades of dedication, personal sacrifice and belief in the company’s mission,” he said. Still, in a labour market marked by rising emigration, skills shortages and disengagement, the gesture sends a powerful signal.
From a business perspective, the awards also serve a strategic function. By institutionalising long-term rewards, BUA is effectively locking in institutional memory, strengthening loyalty and reinforcing a performance culture that aligns individual success with corporate growth. It is a model of shared prosperity that contrasts sharply with short-term profit-maximisation approaches prevalent in many emerging markets.
Looking ahead, Rabiu said the Group would continue to expand capacity, invest in advanced technologies and deepen its footprint across cement, food, sugar and infrastructure. Crucially, he added, the people who built BUA would continue to grow with it.
The Night of Excellence and Long Service Awards, now a defining element of BUA Group’s culture, reflects an organisation betting that respect for people, long-term thinking and shared rewards are not just moral choices—but sound business strategy.
