Bella Disu, chairman of Abumet Nigeria Ltd., has highlighted the company’s growing role in large-scale construction projects after the glass and aluminum manufacturer delivered the facade for Northwest Petroleum & Gas’ new headquarters in Lagos, underscoring its push to position locally made building solutions for higher-value developments across Nigeria.

Disu said in a LinkedIn post that she led the Abumet team at the commissioning of the headquarters, attended by Vice President Kashim Shettima and Lagos Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu. The project featured 794 unitized facade panels and 490 separate glass panels, bringing the total to 1,284 pieces.

She described the work as a project requiring precision, discipline and engineering standards comparable with international benchmarks. Disu congratulated Northwest Petroleum CEO Winifred Akpani, saying the project reflected the company’s confidence in Abumet to execute a technically demanding building envelope at a prominent Nigerian development.

Strategy takes new shape

Abumet is now pairing high-profile projects with a broader strategy aimed at expanding its building-solutions business. At its board and management strategy retreat, Disu said the company deliberately brought together speakers from architecture, professional services, business education and green building to challenge established thinking about its next phase.

“My goal was simple: to raise new questions rather than settle for easy answers,” Disu said. Discussions focused on how innovation could move Abumet beyond supplying products toward solving practical construction problems, while executives also examined governance, corporate culture and how the business presents itself to customers and the wider market.

The strategy shift comes as Abumet works to build sales and strengthen its presence in Nigeria’s construction market. The company has expanded its sales and marketing efforts, including its Lagos sales office, while promoting made-in-Nigeria window and door systems and EVONIGGLASS, its insulated glass brand, as part of a wider push into building solutions.

From losses to growth

Abumet is 90 percent owned by Julius Berger Nigeria Plc and manufactures and sells aluminum, steel, iron and other structural products. Disu became chairman of its board in January 2021, succeeding Bamanga Tukur, as the business faced significant losses and the broader construction sector was adjusting to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since taking the chair, Disu, who is also a nonexecutive director of Julius Berger, has assumed a more active role in Abumet’s building-solutions business as the company has sought to lift sales and widen its market reach. The effort has coincided with a marked improvement in Julius Berger’s financial performance in recent years.

Julius Berger’s revenue rose to 759.9 billion naira ($572 million) in fiscal 2025 from 566.7 billion naira ($426.4 million) a year earlier, while profit increased to 30.2 billion naira ($22.7 million) from 15.51 billion naira ($11.7 million). Revenue had also climbed in 2024, rising from 446.1 billion naira ($335.1 million) in 2023.

For Abumet, the renewed emphasis on engineering, sales and market positioning marks a shift from a period of financial pressure toward stronger earnings and broader commercial ambitions. Its role on the Northwest Petroleum headquarters adds a visible project to that effort, while the company’s strategy retreat points to a longer-term focus on becoming a building-solutions partner rather than a conventional materials supplier.