Veteran journalist and political analyst, Mahmud Jega, has described the death of Kano-born billionaire and philanthropist, Alhaji Aminu Dantata, as the symbolic end of a very long era in Nigeria’s commercial and northern elite history.
Speaking in an interview with ARISE News, Jega said the 94-year-old businessman was the last surviving link to a century-old dynasty of Hausa merchants, tracing his legacy to his father, Alhassan Dantata, who was once considered the richest man in West Africa during the colonial era.
“Regarding Alhaji Aminu Dantata, who is being buried in Medina today, it was really the end of a very long era. He, in the last 30 years or so, was the patriarch of the Dantata family, which is the best known business family in northern Nigeria. Their name is actually synonymous with wealth and business. There are even local sayings – if you have money like Dantata, it’s a well-known saying,” Jega said.
While many remember Dantata for his wealth, Jega emphasised that in his later years, he became more prominent for his philanthropic work and quiet influence. According to him, Dantata’s legacy includes investments in health, education, and economic empowerment, especially in the north.
He said, “In the last 30 years or so, Alhaji Aminu, as the patriarch of the family, was not so much interested in making money, but in giving it away. That’s how he became well known as a philanthropist, investing in schools, hospitals, widows, physically challenged persons, orphans, mosques, all kinds of things. He was just giving away money. He became a very prominent community leader in Kano.”
Jega recalled that Dantata had gradually withdrawn from the frontlines of business and politics in recent decades, but remained a towering figure in Nigerian society, saying, “We could see in the newspaper that almost every VIP who visited Kano would pay him a courtesy call. He was 90 years plus. So he had a lot of this wisdom that he garnered after so many years in business and briefly even in politics.”
Despite his death, Jega noted that the Dantata business dynasty remains intact, referencing relatives such as Aliko Dangote and Sayyu Dantata—both leading industrialists in their own right—who are part of the extended family.
Jega concluded that although the man is gone, his legacy will endure, not only through his descendants but through the countless Nigerians who benefitted from his generosity and vision.
“His passing is really the end of a very long era. But the Dantata family’s fame in business will continue for a time, because you can see some of his grandnephews like Aliko Dangote and Sayyu Dantata and many others. They are the face of modern business in Nigeria right now. So the Dantata dynasty in business will continue apparently for a long time to come,” he said.
Ozioma Samuel-Ugwuezi
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