I’m Grateful For LEADERSHIP Award – BUA Group Chair, Rabiu

Chairman of BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu, has expressed gratitude to LEADERSHIP Newspapers for selecting him as the Person of the Year 2026.

Rabiu and the founder of Arise TV, Nduka Obaigbena, jointly won the  Person of the Year 2026 award and would be conferred with the award alongside other awardees at a ceremony scheduled to be held on December 1 in Abuja.

Speaking when the Vice Chairman of LEADERSHIP Group, Mike Okpere, and the Director of Conferences, Abraham Nda Isaiah, presented nomination letter to him in Lagos, recently, Rabiu said he had rescheduled a planned trip to China to attend the award ceremony.

The industrialist said the recognition was important to him, prompting him to adjust his schedule to attend the ceremony in person, which coincides with his planned trip to China in early December.

“I am personally grateful. I have to schedule some of my programmes so that I can attend. Early December, I am supposed to be in China, but I have now changed my programme to attend,” he said.

Presenting the nomination letter, Okpere said the 54-member awards nomination panel had deliberated on the 2026 awards and unanimously selected Rabiu as Person of the Year 2026 after closely monitoring his contributions to the Nigerian economy.

He said the decision reflected Rabiu’s contributions to economic growth and development through his business activities and investments.

Rabiu is being recognised for his role in driving industrial growth, investment and job creation through BUA Group, one of Nigeria’s major industrial conglomerates with interests across key sectors of the economy.

The 2026 LEADERSHIP Awards ceremony is scheduled to be held on December 1 at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja.

The annual event, organised by LEADERSHIP Group Limited, recognises Nigerians who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and made significant contributions to their respective fields.