Alhaji aminu dantata biography of martin

Nigerian businessman and philanthropist (born )

Aminu Dantata ((Listen^ⓘ); born 19 May ) 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 , he was a member of the National Movement, an organization that later transformed to the National Party of Nigeria.^[3]

Life

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 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.

Alhaji aminu dantata biography of martin luther He was the first chancellor of Al-Qalam University, Katsina, and also received honourable doctorates. In the last two years, Alhaji Dr. I think one of the reasons the family has been in business for that long is because they are focused. He was born into a merchant family and he worked for his father and the company that his father created.

Aminu Dantata is the fifteenth child in a family of seventeen children. From to , he was educated at Dala Primary School and then finished his education through home studies in a private school built by his father in ^[2] After his studies, he joined the family business, Alhassan Dantata & sons in as a produce buyer and also got married.

In , he became the Sokoto district manager of the business. The year was also when his father died and the shares in the business were subsequently distributed to the children.

Alhaji aminu dantata biography of martin johnson He knew the principles of accounting and modern business. Inan apparent bid to protect investments and offerleadership to the new nation, he contested the general election and won. Up to the 60s and early 70s, he played polo. The statement got Nigerians talking.

In , Dantata became the deputy managing director of the business with his brother Ahmadu, was the MD. When Ahmadu died in , 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 s, 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 , 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 , he was among the pioneer board members of the Nigerian Industrial Development Bank.

In , Dantata was appointed kano State commissioner for Economic Development, Trade and Industry under the administration of Audu Bako, he was in the position until ^[4]

During the indigenization period of the s, the Dantata group bought shares and held significant holdings in Mentholatum, SCOA, Funtua Cotton Seed Crushing Co and Raleigh Industries.

Alhaji aminu dantata biography of martin lawrence Before then, all the schools in Kano province and probably in northern Nigeria belonged to either the government or missionaries-from Lokoja to Kaduna to Kano and to Katsina, all were government schools. Atatimewhen manyfamilies inthenorthlacked the wherewithal to send their children to the schools set up by the colonial government, Aminu's father wasso wealthythat hiseducationwasguaranteed. Hewasenrolled in DalaPrimary School in Then, he moved back to Nigeria, when he was attracted by the railway in Kano and other developments.

Alhassan Dantata and Sons Group

Dantata assumed executive leadership of Alhassan Dantata and Sons in 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 and , 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 s 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 s, the group had changed its identity to become Dantata Organization with additional investment in oil exploration through Express Petroleum.^[2]

Philanthropy

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.

See also

References