Aminu Dantata

Aminu Dantata (b. 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. He is the head of a group of companies that manages his real estate and other business ventures.

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.

Dantata was born to the family of Alhassan Dantata, he was the fifteenth child in a family of seventeen children. From 1938 to 1945, he attended Dala Primary School and then finished his education through home studies in a private school built by his father. after 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.

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. 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.

During the indigenization period of the 1970s, the Dantata group bought shares and held significant holdings in Namco Nig, Main Line transport, SCOA, Funtua Cotton Seed Crushing Co and Raleigh Industries.

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