Nigerian billionaire Abdul Samad Rabiu, Chairman and CEO of BUA Group, capped off a spectacular year of personal and corporate growth by distributing million in bonuses and awards to nearly 1,800 long-serving employees. The rewards were announced at the annual BUA Night of Excellence Long Service Awards on December 13, 2025, in Lagos.
The generous payout, which benefited 1,768 employees ranging from frontline staff to senior executives, reinforces Rabiu’s reputation for prioritizing the livelihoods of his workforce, moving beyond just factory and infrastructure investment.
An Unprecedented Year of Wealth Surge
The massive bonus pool follows a year of extraordinary wealth accumulation for Rabiu personally:
The awards spanned multiple levels of the organization, ensuring the windfall was broadly distributed. Notably, five employees received each, five others were awarded , with dozens more receiving sums ranging from to .
Commitment to Employee Welfare
The December bonus is the second major commitment Rabiu made to his staff in 2025. Earlier in the year, he approved a 50 per cent salary increase across the entire group—for both permanent and non-permanent employees—to proactively mitigate the impact of rising inflation and economic pressures in Nigeria.
This dual focus on rewarding employees and expanding his empire was further highlighted by Rabiu’s personal acquisition of a Bombardier Global 8000 private jet, making him the first African owner of the ultra-long-range aircraft. The move emphasizes the billionaire’s philosophy of balancing business growth with robust employee welfare and personal status elevation.
