Aminu Dantata ((ⓘ ) ; born 19 May 1931) is a Nigerian businessman and philanthropist who is one of the promoters of Kano State Foundation, an endowment fund that supported educational initiatives and provided grants to small-scale entrepreneurs in Kano. [1] He is the head of a group of companies that manages his real estate and other business ventures. [2]
Dantata is the founder of Express Petroleum & Gas Company Ltd and one of the organizers of Jaiz Bank in Nigeria. In 1978, he was a member of the National Movement, an organization that later transformed to the National Party of Nigeria. [3]
Dantata was born to the family of Alhassan Dantata, who was from an Agalawa trading family, Aminu Dantata's grand-father was called Abdullahi while his great-grand father was called Baba Talatin a prosperous merchant who brought the family from Katsina to Madobi following the death of his father Ali, Aminu Dantata's grand father Abdullahi continued to operate from Madobi until 1877 when having set out for a journey to Gonja his wife delivered Alhassan Dantata the father of Aminu at a campsite (Zango) of Bebeji on his return from the journey he decided to abandon Madobi and moved to Bebeji. Aminu Dantata is the fifteenth child in a family of seventeen children. From 1938 to 1945, he was educated at Dala Primary School and then finished his education through home studies in a private school built by his father in 1949. [2] After his studies, he joined the family business, Alhassan Dantata & sons in 1948 as a produce buyer and also got married. In 1955, he became the Sokoto district manager of the business. The year 1955 was also when his father died and the shares in the business were subsequently distributed to the children. In 1958, Dantata became the deputy managing director of the business with his brother Ahmadu, was the MD. When Ahmadu died in 1960, Dantata became the head of the business. [4]
Over the years, Dantata expanded the business holdings and his activities into various sectors of the Nigerian political and economic sphere. By the beginning of the 1960s, Dantata had a construction firm that received patronage from the newly independent government in Nigeria, his firm was given a contract to build part of the School of Aviation in Zaria. In 1961, he was among three other businessmen as part of the 23 member economic mission group, the first world-wide mission sent by an independent government in Nigeria. [5] In 1964, he was among the pioneer board members of the Nigerian Industrial Development Bank. In 1968, Dantata was appointed kano State commissioner for Economic Development, Trade and Industry under the administration of Audu Bako, he was in the position until 1973. [4]
During the indigenization period of the 1970s, the Dantata group bought shares and held significant holdings in Mentholatum, SCOA, Funtua Cotton Seed Crushing Co and Raleigh Industries.
Dantata assumed executive leadership of Alhassan Dantata and Sons in 1960. Established by his father as commodity firm trading in groundnut, kolanut and a few other commodities, Dantata later invested in some foreign enterprises operating in Nigeria. Between 1960 and 1980, it operated the following divisions: Building and construction division whose contracts included Defense Academy in Kaduna, extension to Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria and a civil aviation training school in Zaria. [6] A Merchandise division that was founded in the middle of the 1970s traded in building materials primarily in Northern Nigeria. [6] Northern Amalgamated and Marketing Company Limited, this unit has two main parts, a fertilizer division generally supplying governments and a technical division trading in WARD generators and Barford construction equipment. [6] The firm maintained a division that held a Mercedes Benz dealership and another that maintained a terminal at Warri Port. By the 1990s, the group had changed its identity to become Dantata Organization with additional investment in oil exploration through Express Petroleum. [2]
Dantata has donated funds and buildings to various institutions around Kano. He donated the Alhassan Dantata Haemodyalysis Center to Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital. [7] He was the first chancellor of Al-Qalam University, Katsina.
Kano is a city in northern Nigeria and the capital of Kano State. It is the second largest city in Nigeria after Lagos, with over four million citizens living within 449 km2 (173 sq mi). Located in the savanna, south of the Sahel, Kano is a major route of the trans-Saharan trade, having been a trade and human settlement for millennia. It is the traditional state of the Dabo dynasty who have ruled as emirs over the city-state since the 19th century. Kano Emirate Council is the current traditional institution inside the city boundaries of Kano, and under the authority of the Government of Kano State.
Kano is one of the 36 states of Nigeria, located in the northern region of the country. According to the national census done in 2006, Kano State is the most populous state in Nigeria. The recent official estimates taken in 2016 by the National Bureau of Statistics found that Kano State was still the largest state by population in Nigeria. Created in 1967 out of the former Northern Region, Kano State borders on Katsina State to the northwest for about 210 km, Jigawa State to the northeast for 355 km, Bauchi State to the southeast for 131 km, and Kaduna State to the southwest for 255 km. The state's capital and largest city is the city of Kano, the second most populous city in Nigeria after Lagos. The incumbent governor of the state is Abba Kabir Yusuf. He was sworn in on 29 May 2023.
Zaria is a metropolitan city in Nigeria, located at present time within four local government areas in Kaduna State. It serves as the capital of the Zazzau Emirate Council and is one of the original seven Hausa city-states. The local government areas comprising Zaria are Zaria, Sabon Gari, Giwa, and Soba local government areas of Kaduna State, Nigeria.
The Bayero University Kano (BUK) is a university situated in Kano, Kano State, Nigeria. It was founded in 1975, when it was renamed from Bayero University College and upgraded from University College to University. It is the first university in Kano State, North-western Nigeria.
Bello Maitama Yusuf GCON was a Nigerian politician and businessman. He became Minister for Internal Affairs in 1979, and Minister for Commerce in 1982, and Senator repressing Jigawa central 3 times. Prior, to joining politics, he founded Quartz Integrated Services Nigeria Limited right after he had finished university, it was a renowned and very influential construction company which had first started operating in Kano. Furthermore, he was also the chairman on the board of four other construction companies at the time, thus, making him one of the youngest multi millionaires in Northern Nigeria at the time. In addition to this, he was a lawyer and had served as a chief registrar at the Chief Magistrate's Court in Kano. He was also a member of the Constituent Assembly and, up to his time, one of Jigawa's few billionaires. Bello Maitama set up the stage for all politicians and businessmen in Nigeria.
Barewa College is a college in Zaria, Kaduna State, northern Nigeria. Founded in 1921 by British governor general Hugh Clifford, it was originally known as Katsina College. It switched its name to Kaduna College in 1938 and to Government College, Zaria in 1949 before settling on Barewa College. It is one of the largest boarding schools in Northern Nigeria and was the most-celebrated post-primary schools there up to the early 1960s. The school is known for the large number of elites from the region who attended and counts among its alumni include Tafawa Balewa who was Prime Minister of Nigeria from 1960 to 1966, four heads of state of Nigeria. The school is located along Gaskiya road in the Tukur -Tukur area of Zaria.
Mallam Aminu Kano was a Nigerian radical opposition political leader, teacher, poet, playwright, and trade unionist from Kano. He played an active role during the transition from British colonial rule to independence, the First Republic, Military rule, and the Second Republic. Representing the Kano East constituency, he served as the Deputy Government Chief Whip in the Federal House of Representatives. During Yakubu Gowon's administration, he served as the Federal Commissioner for Communications and the Federal Commissioner for Health. He was a vocal critic of British colonialism and its indirect rule policy in northern Nigeria. A self-described democratic humanist and reformer, Aminu combined his knowledge of Western and Islamic education to champion the liberation of the talakawa (commoners).
Ibrahim Musa Gashash was a Kano trader and politician who was among a group of prominent Northern Nigerians that formed the Northern People's Congress. Along with two other Kano merchants, he helped establish the first indigenous pilgrimage tour company in Kano.
Sanusi Dantata was a wealthy Nigerian entrepreneur and son of Alhassan Dantata. He was a director of the Nigeria branch of Shell B.P. and founder of Sanusi Dantata and sons limited.
Alhassan Dantata ; Arabic: ال حسان دان تاتا, romanized: al-Ḥasan ɗan Tātā; 1877 – 17 August 1955) was a Nigerian businessman and philanthropist. Through his trade with large British companies, he became one of the wealthiest men in West Africa during his time. He is the great-grandfather of Aliko Dangote, the wealthiest person in Nigeria and Africa.
Kano State House of Assembly is the state legislature of Kano State, Nigeria. The Kano State House of Assembly is one of the arms of Kano State Government which comprises the Executives, Judiciary and the legislatives, House of Assembly are the legislatives of Kano State. The Chamber and the offices of the Members are located at Abdu Bako Secretariat in the state capital, Kano Municipal. The House of Assembly is currently under the Leadership of New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP). There have been nine different house of assemblies; the first was inaugurated 2 October 1979 and the present one was inaugurated 7 June 2019. There are forty members of the State House of Assembly, that represent forty-four local government areas in Kano State.
Alhaji Abdullahi Bayero was Emir of Kano from 1926 until his death in 1953. Under the British colonial system of indirect rule, he oversaw the administring of the Kano Province of the Northern Region of Colonial Nigeria.
Abdullahi Mustapha is a Nigerian Professor of Medicinal Chemistry and former Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He was succeeded by Ibrahim Garba as the VC of the University. He is currently the Director General of the National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency (NBRDA) in Nigeria. He occupied this position during the tenure of former president Muhammadu Buhari but was re-appointed by the present Nigerian president, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Abdullahi Aliyu Sumaila was a Nigerian politician and administrator. One of the first administrators to inherit the post first republican administrative structure instituted by the military, served the Local Education Authority, Kano State Government and the Federal Government of Nigeria from 1967 to 2003 in various positions.
Yusufu Bala Usman was a Nigerian historian and politician, who was one of the scholars who shaped Nigerian historiography. He was the founder of the Centre for Democratic Development, Research and Training at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
Mahmud Dantata (1922–1983), often known as Mamuda Dantata, was a Nigerian businessman and politician who represented Kano East under the platform of NPC in the Nigerian House of Representatives from 1965 to 1966. Dantata was originally sympathetic to the cause of the opposition party NEPU, led by Aminu Kano but after an incarceration, he aligned with the dominant party to defeat Aminu Kano for a seat in the House of Representatives in 1964.
Abdulhamid Isa Dutse was a Nigerian Cardiologist, and consultant, who was Professor of Medicine, and the former chief medical director of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH).
HON. Justice Musa Danladi Abubakar NPOM, LLB, BL is a Nigerian lawyer and current serving chief judge of Katsina State from 2018. He administered the oath of office to the former governor of Katsina State Rt. Hon. Alh. Aminu Bello Masari. He was the chairman of the Taraba State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal who declared Hajiya Aisha Jummai Alhassan of the All Progressive Congress (APC) winner of the controversial governorship election, 2015 in Taraba State.
The Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) is a public research university located in Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria. It was opened in 1962 as the University of Northern Nigeria. The university has four colleges, three schools, 18 faculties, 110 academic departments, 17 centres, and seven institutes with over 600 professors, about 3000 academic staff and over 7000 non-teaching staff. The university has over 400 postgraduate programmes reflecting its strife to become a postgraduate studies-centred university. The university operates from two campuses in the ancient cosmopolitan city of Zaria, the Samaru Campus where the Senate Building and most of the faculties are located and the Kongo Campus, hosting the faculties of Law and Administration. It has been adjudged to be the largest university in Sub-Saharan Africa, in terms of land occupied, owing to the numerous buildings it has.