“A Mentor And Father Figure” – Otega Ogra Pens Fine Tribute to BUA Chairman Abdul Samad Rabiu
Otega Ogra, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Digital and New Media, has shared a moving tribute reflecting on his life-changing professional relationship with his former boss, the Chairman of BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu.
The inspiring tribute—celebrating a man Ogra fondly refers to as “my chairman, a father figure, and a mentor”—was written to mark the birthday of one of Africa’s finest philanthropists.
Abdul Samad Rabiu, the founder of one of Nigeria’s most reputable conglomerates, celebrated his 66th birthday on August 4, 2026.
In his reflection, Ogra revealed that every assignment he carried out under the BUA Chairman’s visionary leadership felt like an elite masterclass. The full tribute reads:
“Today, I celebrate a man I had the privilege of working with most closely for the better part of a decade: the 2026 Africa CEO of the Year, Chairman of @BUAgroup & Founder, @ASRAfrica, Abdul Samad Rabiu, CON, CFR.
When I joined BUA Group in 2015 as Director of Corporate Communications after years in international development and banking, I was stepping into the unfamiliar territory of manufacturing. I held overall responsibility for brand management, corporate & strategic communications, CSR, marketing, executive profiling, and public relations across one of Nigeria’s largest conglomerates and all its subsidiaries.
Chairman Rabiu did something every young executive hopes for but few experience. He gave me access, room to think, room to build, room to make decisions and be accountable for them, room to grow, fly, and achieve.
Demanding when excellence was required, patient when lessons had to be learnt, and unwavering in his belief that people perform best when they are trusted, he combined empathy with discipline in a way that shaped not only my career but also my understanding of leadership.
Like my current principal, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, Chairman always led from the front. Vision was never in short supply. Neither was courage or capacity to execute. Every conversation became a lesson. Every assignment felt like one executive MBA class after another. Every challenge came with the confidence that you could solve it. And solve many, we did!
To me, Alhaji Abdul Samad Rabiu is my Chairman, a father figure, and a mentor. His influence on my life and career extends far beyond the confines of the workplace, and I will always be grateful for his confidence, guidance, and unwavering support.
Thank you for the confidence you placed in me, for the opportunities, the guidance, the countless strategy sessions and lessons regardless of where we were across the world, and for genuinely caring about the people fortunate enough to work with you.
Happy Birthday, ASR. I wish you many more years of good health, wisdom, fulfilment, and continued impact in Nigeria, Africa, and beyond.
O’tega ‘The Tiger’ OGRA”
