Industrialist, philanthropist and founder of BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu, has been conferred with the prestigious Nigerian National Honour of Commander of the Federal Republic as well as the Nigeria Excellence Award in Public Service (NEAPS) by TBS. These awards were presented by President Muhammadu Buhari, recently on two different occasions to Abdul Samad Rabiu for his exemplary philanthropy and interventions in the tertiary education sector in Nigeria.
Whilst 53 other Nigerians were honoured with the CFR Award, Abdul Samad Rabiu is the only individual from the private sector recognised by President Buhari at the Excellence in Public Service Awards alongside 43 other prominent Nigerians drawn from the public sector on Friday in Abuja.
Buhari while commenting on the award to Abdul Samad Rabiu, said, “I want to also specially recognise Abdul Samad Rabiu, the Chairman of BUA International Limited for his interventions in Education through the BUA Foundation, the Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR Africa), and his other philanthropic initiatives.
“This initiative funds tertiary education institutions in Nigeria from its yearly $100 million ASR Africa Fund for Social Development and Renewal. I am happy that five universities have so far benefited with many more to come,” he said.
The Nigerian leader, urged leaders in the private and public sectors to be more mindful of their positions as “trustees of the people”, urging them to always work toward leaving a legacy that will be long remembered.