Aminu Dantata whose full name is Alhaji (Dr)Aminu Alhassan Dantata is a prominent Nigerian businessman and philanthropist. Aside from being very much self-made and wealthy in his own right, he is also related by blood to the Aliko Dangote as he is Dangote’s great grand uncle. Aminu Dantata was also one of the leading promoters of the Kano State Foundation which is an endowment fund that supports educational innovations and gives grants small-scale entrepreneurs in Kano.
Background
Aminu Dantata was born into the family of renowned business mogul Alhassan Dantata and Amina Umma Zaria as the fifteenth of seventeen children. He got his primary education from Dala Primary School from 1938 to 1945 and then went on to complete his education through home schooling from a private school his father built.
Rise To Wealth
Because his father was already in business and had cleared the way for his sons, Aminu went on to join the family business- Alhassan Dantata & Sons Limited after his education. He started out as a produce buyer in 1949 and also got married in the same year.
He eventually became the Sokoto district manager of the business in 1955 and that was sadly the same year his father died. Consequently, the shares of the business were distributed to the children and in 1958 he became the managing director of the business alongside his brother Ahmadu who was the managing director. He became and remained the Chairman and head of the business after the death of his brother in 1960.
Dantata went on to stretch out the business into many diverse sectors including politics. He became a commissioner in the newly created Kano state in the late 1960’s. He also created a construction firm in the early 1960’s that was even patronized by the newly independent government in Nigeria. His firm was given the contract to build a part of the School of Aviation in Zaria.
Aminu Dantata was also a very much recognized patron of the newly independent Nigerian Government such that he was sent on important state affairs. In 1961 himself and three other businessmen were sent on the first worldwide mission by the independent government of Nigeria; it was a 23 member economic mission.
He was made a pioneer board member of the Nigerian Industrial Development in 1964 and in 1968 he was appointed Kano State commissioner for Economic Development, Trade, and Industry under the administration of Audu Bako. He held the position of commissioner up until 1973.
He, however, did not remain idle after leaving his political position as commissioner, he went on to join the Nation’s newly soaring commercial drive and he bought shares in prominent companies. Companies like Namco Nig, Main Line transport, SCOA, Funtua Cotton Seed Crushing Co and Raleigh Industries.
The Dantata business continued to enjoy patronage from the government as they expanded and grew in the North, they supplied various state governments with fertilizer, jute bags, rice, and cement. They also delved into importing; they imported building materials and automobiles and even went on to be a major distributor of Mercedes Benz cars in the country.
ACCOLADES
He was the first chancellor of Al-Qalam University, Katsina.
