Business
Lagos Moves To Redevelop Tolu School Complex In Ajegunle, Lists Benefits
Lagos Moves To Redevelop Tolu School Complex In Ajegunle, Lists Benefits
As parts of the move to improve on the teaching and learning process for pupils, the Special Committee on Rehabilitation of Public Schools (SCRPS), in Lagos State, has been mandated by the Lagos state government to revamp the densely populated Tolu School Complex in Ajegunle.
The committee is to ensure that the entire complex is redesigned in a manner that the building appears more befitting and appealing as well as become cynosure of all eyes to improve teaching and learning in the affected schools.
Recognising the enormity of the job given to the committee, its Chairman, who spoke with some journalists on Thursday in Ikeja, said the move was very much necessary considering the need to put Education system in good shape in the state.
From his body language and submission, the SCRPS is much interested in addressing the infrastructural decay in the public school and, as a result, intervened heavily following the mandate it got from the state government.
It is saddened to know that the entire school complex, which covers an expanse of approximately 11.73 hectares of land, houses 36 schools and all are in bad condition. More heart-rending is that fact that majority of the buildings are with blown off roofs, cracked walls, broken window panes, abandoned toilets which encouraged open defecation by the students, just to mention a few.
It is pleasing to know that the Tolu School Complex was established in 1981 during Alhaji Lateef kayode Jakande administration, and the Mass Education Policy, at that time, necessitated the reclamation of the parcel of land from the lagoon, in order to accommodate the teeming population in that area, who must have access to education.
The successive administration under the leadership of Air Commodore Gbolahan Mudashiru, who was the Governor of Lagos state from 1984-1986, continued from where his predecessor stopped, by upgrading the existing Jakande blocks to standard ones and more schools were added to the ever growing community.
To continue on the historical background of the Tolu School Complex, the facility has been in existence for over four decades and the high level of usage without proper maintenance in place have resulted to their different levels of infrastructural decay. But as things stand now, the Lagos State government is hell bent in making immediate intervention, to practically rehabilitate those that need rehabilitation, demolish and re-develop as the case may require.
Haleem Smith had, in his address, revealed how several reconnaissance and assessment visits to the Tolu school complex have been done by the SCRPS officials and various problems were identified. This obviously is part of the move the Committee has made.
Some of the problems that were encountered include the population of students being on the higher side that the available classrooms, which are not even conducive for learning. So, the pressing need, at that instance, becomes erecting additional classroom blocks.
Also, the existing blocks require urgent rehabilitation as the blocks are in various stages of dilapidation. Some other problems identified include lack of recreational facilities, laboratories, teachers and principals’ offices and toilets, non-clearly defined boundaries within the schools, which encourages inter-school scuffles.
Others include inadequate access roads within the complex, recurrent issue of flooding, security issues in form of school break-ins and theft, non-availability of ICT infrastructure within the complex and lack of perimeter fencing-allowing incessant activities of miscreants within the area are some of the challenges faced at the complex.
Having identified the major problems, the execution and management of the project will be a lot easier as the project has been divided into six lots, that is Lots A, B, C, D, E, F so as to get the work done without much encumbrances.
Smith explained that the Committee has proposed, amongst others, the construction of additional 13nos 15 and 18 Classroom blocks with offices and toilets in some of the schools having shortage of classrooms, renovation of identified dilapidated classroom blocks, construction of perimeter fences and gate houses, construction of new inner roads and drainages, rehabilitation of existing access roads and the construction of health-care center.
For this reason, He assured that the committee will make efforts to construct a fire service station in the complex to mitigate against any fire outbreak; a multi-purpose sports complex; electrical works-solar powered floodlight and other needed infrastructure.
Also, an ICT hub, central laboratory and arts/creativity blocks under private sponsorship arrangement, will also be established while all of these will be maintained by the facility management office which, at the end, will make Tolu School Complex become an ‘Education City’.
Let it also be known that some other the benefits attached to the redevelopment of the school complex include bringing succor to the educational needs of the growing population of that area; catalyst for commerce as more businesses will start springing up and more importantly; help build capacity in the area of Science, Technology, Sports and Academics due to the state-of-the-arts structure that will begin to spring up.
Business
FLOUTING CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS, DEFYING COURT ORDERS, AND DISREGARDING ARBITRATION: THE FACTS BEHIND HADIZA BALA USMAN’S ABUSE OF OFFICE AS NPA MD
FLOUTING CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS, DEFYING COURT ORDERS, AND DISREGARDING ARBITRATION: THE FACTS BEHIND HADIZA BALA USMAN’S ABUSE OF OFFICE AS NPA MD
By BUA Group | May 31, 2025
We have noted recent public statements made by Ms. Hadiza Bala Usman, the former Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), who was sacked from office. In her comments, she accused BUA Group and our Chairman, Abdul Samad Rabiu, of breaching a concession agreement and distorting facts. These claims were made in response to our Chairman’s interview and article, “Two Years of President Tinubu: A Business Perspective” (watch at https://bit.ly/pbatbua), which celebrated Nigeria’s reform trajectory and referenced prior instances of arbitrary disruptions to business operations, without naming anyone – a situation that has now been curtailed by President Tinubu’s no-nonsense approach to bringing sanity and stability to the business environment in Nigeria.
Ordinarily, we would not engage, but the distortions in her response necessitate this factual clarification, especially as they relate to her actions during her tenure as MD of the NPA.
THE CONTRACT AND WHAT SHE OMITTED
In 2006,
BUA entered into a valid long lease agreement with the NPA to rehabilitate and operate Terminal B at Rivers Port in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Long before Ms. Usman’s appointment, BUA had begun formal engagement with the NPA to address outstanding remedial works and infrastructural deficiencies. These discussions were nearing their conclusion when she assumed office.
Rather than build on that process, Ms. Usman ignored BUA’s requests and obligations under the agreement. In 2016, BUA wrote to the NPA under Article 8.4 of the lease, mandating concessionaires to report environmental and safety concerns and to seek approval for remedial works. Rather than act constructively, Ms. Usman used that letter as a pretext to issue a termination notice and summarily shut down the terminal, without providing any prior warning, consultation, or invoking the dispute resolution clause.
She forgot or failed to disclose in her response that the NPA, under her leadership, was itself in material breach of core obligations including, failing to hand over critical portions of the port, leaving derelict iron ore on the berths, failing to dredge or repair quay walls, and neglecting to provide mandatory security. These lapses were significant impediments to BUA’s operations and, as a result, led to disputes between the parties.
ILLEGALITY, CONTEMPT, AND DISREGARD FOR CONTRACTUAL MECHANISMS
After the unlawful termination, BUA approached the Federal High Court, which promptly granted an injunction restraining the NPA from proceeding with termination. The NPA itself then referred the dispute to arbitration, as stipulated in Section 17.3 of the agreement, which clearly states:
“Any dispute, controversy or claim… shall be exclusively and finally settled under the dispute resolution process prescribed in this Article.”
Despite this, Ms. Usman, against the advice of her agency, unilaterally decommissioned the berths, thereby violating both the agreement and a court injunction. To be clear, the concession agreement granted her no such power to decommission. If she believes otherwise, we invite her to publicly cite the specific clause that authorizes this action.
To further compound the illegality, BUA, after providing the guarantees and indemnities requested by the NPA, was permitted to resume operations briefly. Merely three weeks later, the terminal was again shut down, this time by Ms. Usman’s instruction. This left no doubt that her actions were motivated not by due process, but by personal animosity and abuse of office.
BUA subsequently filed contempt proceedings and was looking at estimated losses of over $10 million. These proceedings were only withdrawn out of respect for national interest and following the intervention of well-meaning Nigerians within and outside the government.
PRESIDENT BUHARI WAS NOT MISINFORMED—HE ACTED ON FACTS AND LAW
Ms. Usman’s claim that former President Muhammadu Buhari was “misinformed” when he reversed her actions is false, disrespectful, and disingenuous.
Following a meeting that our Chairman had the privilege of holding with President Buhari in 2018, he presented the matter to the President, who then directed the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation to conduct a thorough legal review and investigate the situation. The AGF invited all parties, including Ms. Usman, to several meetings. We never saw her at any of them.
Nevertheless, the AGF proceeded to undertake a comprehensive review of the contract, the litigation, the arbitration clause, and all correspondence and actions by BUA and NPA. The legal advice (attached herewith) found that the termination was unlawful, the decommissioning was without any legal basis, and that BUA’s rights should be reinstated.
It was on this basis that President Buhari ordered the reversal of her unlawful actions. His intervention preserved the sanctity of the contract, saved over 4,000 jobs, and BUA’s $500 million integrated investment cluster involving flour, pasta, and sugar processing facilities, which were all dependent on terminal access. For this, we remain deeply grateful to former President Buhari.
As our Chairman said in his interview, imagine if he weren’t privileged to have access. Nonetheless, this culture of impunity has been significantly curtailed under President Tinubu’s leadership, as many are aware that they could be dismissed or imprisoned if they abuse their positions.
POST-HADIZA: DUE PROCESS RESTORED, INVESTMENT RESUMED
Following Ms. Usman’s removal from office, the NPA, under new leadership, implemented the AGF’s position. In 2022, BUA was granted formal approval to resume reconstruction works. The contract was awarded to TREVI, and BUA has since invested over $65 million—entirely self-funded and with no recourse to public funds or subsidies. Work is ongoing, and completion is expected in the first quarter of 2026.
THE REAL DANGER: INVESTOR CONFIDENCE AND THE RULE OF LAW
We must state clearly that this matter goes beyond BUA. Had Ms. Usman’s actions been allowed to stand, it would have sent a disastrous signal that contracts in Nigeria are worthless, court orders are optional, and public institutions or individuals can act unilaterally without consequence. We must never return to that era.
Nigeria’s reform success today is rooted in respecting contracts, due process, and investor confidence—principles being restored under President Tinubu’s administration, under which BUA has committed over $1 billion in new investments across energy, food processing, manufacturing, infrastructure, and social interventions.
We wish to emphasise that Ms. Usman is entitled to her opinions, irrespective of how distorted they may be. However, she is not entitled to distort the facts or rewrite history. We do not seek a public spat and would like her to concentrate on fulfilling her duties in her new role under the strong leadership of President Tinubu.
We therefore simply restate the facts that Ms Hadiza Bala-Usman had no authority to decommission Terminal B unilaterally. She also acted in defiance of a court injunction and contractual procedure, and her actions caused significant economic loss of over USD10 million, reputational risk to BUA, and investor concern for Nigeria.
Our core message remains the same: public office should be viewed as a position of trust rather than a platform for personal biases. Those granted public power need to resist the temptation to let prejudice, ego, and vendetta influence their actions.
If Ms Hadiza Bala-Usman believes she acted lawfully, we challenge her to cite the specific clause or clauses that guided her unlawful actions. If not, let the facts remain where they belong — in the public record.
Signed,
BUA Group
May 31, 2025
Business
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