Alhassan Dantata
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Alhassan Dantata (; ; 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 West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...
during his time. He is the great-grandfather of
Aliko Dangote Aliko Mohammad Dangote (born 10 April 1957) is a Nigerian businessman known for his key roles in Dangote Group and Dangote Refinery, Refinery. In 2011, he was appointed as member of the economic management team by President Goodluck Jonathan. D ...
, the wealthiest person in Nigeria and Africa.


Early life

Dantata was born in 1877 in Bebeji,
Kano Emirate The Kano Emirate was a Muslim state in northern Nigeria formed in 1805 during the Fulani jihad when the Muslim Hausa people, Hausa-led Sultanate of Kano was deposed and replaced by a new emirate which became a vassal state of the Sokoto Caliph ...
. Both his parents were prosperous caravan leaders ('madugu') of Agalawa origin. The Agalawa were a group of long distance traders who were formerly slaves of
Tuareg The Tuareg people (; also spelled Twareg or Touareg; endonym, depending on variety: ''Imuhaɣ'', ''Imušaɣ'', ''Imašeɣăn'' or ''Imajeɣăn'') are a large Berber ethnic group, traditionally nomadic pastoralists, who principally inhabit th ...
nobles ('irelewen'). Dantata's father, Abdullahi, was a son of another prominent Agalawa merchant, Baba Talatin, who came from
Katsina Katsina State ( ; 𞤤𞤫𞤴𞤣𞤭 𞤳𞤢𞥁𞤭𞤲𞤢) is a state in the northwestern geopolitical zone of Nigeria. It is bordered to the west by Zamfara State, to the east by Kano and Jigawa states, and to the south by Kaduna St ...
. Soon after Abdullahi’s birth, Baba Talatin moved from Danshayi, a small village roughly fifteen kilometers from
Kano Kano may refer to: Places *Kano State, a state in Northern Nigeria *Kano (city), a city in Nigeria, and the capital of Kano State ** Kingdom of Kano, a Hausa kingdom between the 10th and 14th centuries ** Sultanate of Kano, a Hausa kingdom betwee ...
, to Madobi. Following his father’s practice, Abdullahi frequently travelled the
Nupe Nupe or NUPE may refer to: *Nupe people, of Nigeria *Nupe language, their language * Nupe River, in the Huánuco Region, Peru * Bida Emirate, also known as the Nupe Kingdom, their former state *A member of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity in the Uni ...
and
Gonja Gonja may refer to: *The Gonja kingdom * The Gonja people who live there *Gonja language *Ranjan Ramanayake See also * Central Gonja District * East Gonja Municipal District * North East Gonja District * North Gonja (district) * West Gonja Munici ...
trade routes. He soon became a wealthy merchant through trading textiles, cattle, and slaves for kolanuts from the Akan forests in modern-day
Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...
. Madobi continued to be Abdullahi’s main base of operations until after Dantata’s birth in 1877, when he permanently moved to Bebeji, a market and fortress town south of Kano. He likely died in 1885 and was buried at his Bebeji residence. Dantata's mother was also a "trader of no small consequence in the area". After Abdullahi's death, the widow was not able to remarry due to her considerable reputation. She eventually moved to
Accra Accra (; or ''Gaga''; ; Ewe: Gɛ; ) is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , had a population of ...
, at the time an important trading center in the
British Gold Coast The Gold Coast was a British Empire, British Crown colony on the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa from 1821 until its independence in 1957 as Ghana. The term Gold Coast is also often used to describe all of the four separate jurisdictions that w ...
, leaving her children in the care of an old slave woman named Tata. Tata's role in raising Dantata led to his nickname 'ɗan Tata' which means 'son of Tata'. After losing much of his inheritance from his father, Dantata began working to support himself while attending
Qur'anic school The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...
. He was encouraged to save much of his money by Tata, even buying him an ''asusu'' (ceramic moneybox), which is still in possession of the Dantata family today. At about 15 years old, he joined a Gonja-bound caravan to visit his mother in Accra, hoping to rely on her wealth rather than having to support himself. However, a day after his arrival, she took him to a Mallam (Islamic teacher) and asked him to stay there until he was ready to return to Kano. During this period, Dantata lived as an
almajiri Almajiranci () refers to a system of Islamic education practiced in northern Nigeria, the male gender seeking Islam knowledge is called Almajiri, female gender is Almajira, and the plural is Almajirai . The system encourages parents to leave paren ...
. After his studies, he had to beg for food to sustain himself and his Mallam. On Thursdays and Fridays, Alhassan worked for money, of which he gave a significant portion to his Mallam. Dantata was in Bebeji when the Kano Civil War (or the Basasa) broke out in 1893 and lasted until 1895. The conflict was between two rival claimants to the emirship, Tukur and Yusufu. Because the Agalawa supported Tukur, several settlements with large Agalawa communities, including Bebeji, were pillaged by the Yusufawa. The war ended after Aliyu, Yusufu's younger brother, succeeded in taking the throne. Consequently, several Agalawa merchants had their properties seized and lived in exile until after the British occupation of Kano a decade later. However, Dantata, along with his brothers Bala and Sidi, was unable to avoid capture and was sold into slavery. Not much is known about Dantata's time in slavery, however, there are four different versions of the story according to historian Abdulkarim Umar Dan Asabe. The first account states that he was taken to Garko but redeemed himself after the war. The second suggests he immediately redeemed himself and Sidi using his existing wealth. According to the third account, he escaped capture and later redeemed his brother Bala in 1925. The final version claims that he escaped shortly after his capture, joined a Gonja-bound caravan, and returned to his mother in Accra. In 1914, by the order of the judicial council of Emir Muhammad Abbas, Dantata was able to reclaim his father’s seized house in Bebeji.


Career

Dantata was in Bebeji when British troops invaded the Kano Emirate on February 1, 1903, conquering the town after its sarki was killed. He remained there until the roads were safe for travel. Then, he set out for the British Gold Coast, traveling through
Ibadan Ibadan (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the List of Nigerian cities by population, third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano (city), Kano, with a total populatio ...
and Lagos, and reached Accra by sea. Soon after, he began using this route to transport his kolanuts to Lagos, where he resold them to traders bound for Kano, becoming one of the first northern traders to use these routes commercially. In 1906, he diversified his trade by dealing in beads, necklaces, and European cloth. After his mother's death in 1908, he focused his trade on Kano and Lagos. During this period, Dantata moved to Kano city and established a house in the Sarari ward, which was mostly empty at the time. With the expansion of groundnut production in British Northern Nigeria, the
Niger Company Niger, officially the Republic of the Niger, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is a unitary state bordered by Libya to the north-east, Chad to the east, Nigeria to the south, Benin and Burkina Faso to the south-west, Mali to the wes ...
(later part of the
United Africa Company The United Africa Company (UAC) was a British company which principally traded in West Africa during the 20th century. The United Africa Company was formed in 1929 as a result of the merger of Royal Niger Company, The Niger Company, which had b ...
) started contacting established merchants in the region through the emir and their chief agent, Adamu Jakada. By 1918, after being approached by the company, Dantata had established a large network of agents and sub-agents to purchase groundnuts. His experience in coastal trade and basic knowledge of English gave him an advantage over other Kano merchants working with the company. His frugality and modest lifestyle enabled him to "accumulate capital rapidly". He soon became the Niger Company’s largest supplier and, by 1922, one of the wealthiest men in Kano. From 1926, Dantata utilised the newly established railway to promote cattle trade with Lagos and revitalized the kolanut trade with
Western Nigeria The former Western State of Nigeria was formed in 1967 when the Western Region was subdivided into the states of Lagos and Western State. Its capital was Ibadan, which was the capital of the old region. The largest ethnic group here are the Yoruba. ...
. In 1929, when the
Bank of British West Africa Bank of British West Africa (BBWA) was a British Overseas bank that was important in introducing modern banking into the countries that emerged from the UK's West African colonies. In 1957 it changed its name to Bank of West Africa, and in 1965 ...
opened a branch in Kano, he famously deposited twenty camel-loads of silver coins, becoming the first Kano businessman to use a bank. By the 1940s, he bought and sold about 20,000 tons of groundnut in a year. During this period, Nigeria had become one of the world’s leading groundnut producers, with Kano Province contributing almost half of the country’s groundnut production. In the early 1950s, with the assistance of the United Africa Company (UAC), he became a direct importer of consumer goods from Europe. He was the leading agent for the UAC and was advanced credit of up to £500,000 for crop purchase. In 1953, he became the first Nigerian licensed
buying agent Buying agents or purchasing agents are people or companies that offer to buy goods or property on behalf of another party. Indent agents or indenting agents (or firms) are alternative terms for buying agents. An indent is an order for goods under ...
for the Northern Nigeria Marketing Board. He also became involved in transporting, direct importing, real estate, and the construction industry, working directly with the
Native Administration Native may refer to: People * '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood * '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Nati ...
. His three eldest sons, Ahmadu, Sanusi and Aminu, were in charge of land, building, and contracting and transport sections of the business, with each backed by a separate organisation.


Politics

In the late 1940s, Dantata helped establish the Kano Traders' General Conference, which eventually became the Amalgamated Northern Merchants' Union (ANMU) in the early 1950s. The ANMU received support from the Native Authorities of the region and the Northern Regional Government. The union was described as " e spearhead of northern merchant nationalism". In 1950,
Abdullahi Bayero Alhaji Abdullahi Bayero (; born Abdullahi ɗan Muhammad Abbas; 1881 – 23 December 1953) was Emir of Kano from 1926 until his death in 1953. Under the British colonial system of indirect rule, he oversaw the administering of the Kano State, Kano ...
, Emir of Kano, appointed Dantata to the
Kano Emirate Council The Kano Emirate Council is a traditional state in Northern Nigeria with headquarters in the city of Kano, the capital of the modern Kano State. Preceded by the Emirate of Kano, the council was formed in 1903 after the British pacification of ...
to represent the merchant class and serve as an adviser on commercial matters. Dantata, the only Hausa member in the historically
Fulani The Fula, Fulani, or Fulɓe people are an ethnic group in Sahara, Sahel and West Africa, widely dispersed across the region. Inhabiting many countries, they live mainly in West Africa and northern parts of Central Africa, South Sudan, Darfur, ...
-dominated council, was seen as the Emir’s effort to address concerns regarding the lack of Hausa representation in the council and other high positions in the Native Administration. During the 1950s and 1960s, the
Northern People's Congress The Northern People's Congress (NPC) is a political party in Nigeria. Formed in June 1943, the party held considerable influence in the Northern Region from the 1950s until the military coup of 1966. It was formerly a cultural organization know ...
(NPC), the most dominant political party in Northern Nigeria at the time, was widely supported by the region’s elites, including the Dantata family who were among the party’s most active supporters. However, Dantata’s two sons, Aminu and Mahmudu, were known members of the
Northern Elements Progressive Union The Northern Elements Progressive Union (NEPU) was the first political party in Northern Nigeria. Founded in Kano on 8 August 1950, it was the offshoot of a pre-existing political association called the Northern Elements Progressive Association. ...
(NEPU), a socialist party that was the NPC's biggest opposition in the North. Dantata pressured his sons to join the NPC instead, as, according to Aminu, "My father would not take it kindly to see his son fighting the system." Aminu later joined the NPC and was elected to the Northern House of Assembly, while Mahmud joined the party later in the 1960s and was elected to the
Federal Parliament The Parliament of Australia (officially the Parliament of the Commonwealth and also known as the Federal Parliament) is the federal legislature of Australia. It consists of three elements: the monarch of Australia (represented by the governor ...
in
1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...
, contesting against and defeating NEPU's leader
Aminu Kano Mallam Aminu Kano (9 August 1920 — 17 April 1983) 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 t ...
. Ahmadu, an NPC member and Dantata’s oldest son, also contested against and defeated Aminu Kano in the 1956 election for the Northern House of Assembly.


Philanthropy

Dantata made a pilgrimage (''
hajj Hajj (; ; also spelled Hadj, Haj or Haji) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for capable Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetim ...
'') to
Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...
via boat in the 1920s. On this trip, he also went to England and was presented to
George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. George w ...
. In 1927, he sponsored 16 persons for pilgrimage to Mecca, including his Mallam from when he lived as an almajiri in Accra in the early 1890s. He continued this practice throughout his life and encouraged his children to carry on the tradition. His son, Aminu, and his grandchildren, like Mariya Sanusi Dantata, as well as his great-grandchildren, including
Aliko Dangote Aliko Mohammad Dangote (born 10 April 1957) is a Nigerian businessman known for his key roles in Dangote Group and Dangote Refinery, Refinery. In 2011, he was appointed as member of the economic management team by President Goodluck Jonathan. D ...
, still finance the pilgrimages of other Muslims to Mecca yearly. Dantata was known to slaughter a herd of cattle for the poor each year during Eid al-Kabir.


Death

In 1955, Dantata became seriously ill. Recognising the seriousness of his illness, he summoned his chief financial controller of 38 years, Garba Maisikeli, and his children. He told them that his days were nearing their end and advised them to live together. He was particularly concerned about the company he had established, Alhassan Dantata & Sons, urging them to ensure it did not collapse. He asked them to continue marrying within the family as much as possible and urged them to avoid clashes with other wealthy Kano merchants. He also told them to take care of their relatives, especially the poor among them. Three days later, on Wednesday, 17 August 1955, he died in his sleep. He was buried in his house in the Sarari ward. Because Dantata scarcely kept any records and only used a bank when his transactions required it, no one knew with any degree of certainty how much he was worth. After his death, his only safe contained a checkbook for each of the two Kano banks, with balances totaling less than £30. With the help of his family, some of his wealth was identified by the Kano Native Administration, amounting to around £350,000 in Northern Nigeria alone, before they abandoned the search. Later estimates indicate that, he left more than a third of a million pounds, mostly in cash.


Descendants

Some descendants of Alhassan Dantata include: * Ahmadu Dantata (1916–1960): son; businessman and politician; managing director of Alhassan Dantata & Sons Company; member of the Northern House of Assembly from 1956 to 1960. * Sanusi Dantata (1917–1997): son; businessman; founder of Sanusi Dantata & Sons Company. ** Abdulkadir Dantata (1946–2012): grandson; businessman; founder of Asada Farms and co-founder of Dantata & Sawoe Construction Company. ** Usman Dantata: grandson; businessman; founder of Anadariya Farms. ** Mariya Dantata: granddaughter; philanthropist. ***
Aliko Dangote Aliko Mohammad Dangote (born 10 April 1957) is a Nigerian businessman known for his key roles in Dangote Group and Dangote Refinery, Refinery. In 2011, he was appointed as member of the economic management team by President Goodluck Jonathan. D ...
(born 1957): great grandson; businessman; founder of
Dangote Group The Dangote Group is a Nigerian multinational industrial conglomerate, founded by Aliko Dangote. It is the largest conglomerate in West Africa and one of the largest on the African continent. The group employs more than 30,000 people, generat ...
; Africa's richest man. * Sulaiman Dantata (1916–1960): son. * Mahmud Dantata (1922–1983): son; businessman and politician; managing director of the West African Pilgrims Association and Hajair; member of the Federal Parliament from 1964 to 1966. *
Aminu Dantata Aminu Alhassan Dantata (; 19 May 1931 – 28 June 2025) was a Nigerian businessman and philanthropist who was one of the promoters of Kano State Foundation, an endowment fund that supported educational initiatives and provided grants to small-s ...
(1931–2025): son; businessman and politician; member of the Northern House of Assembly from 1960 to 1966. * Jamil Dantata: son; politician; member of the Action Group.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dantata, Alhassan 1877 births 1955 deaths Nigerian Muslims People from Kano Hausa people 19th-century Nigerian people 20th-century Nigerian businesspeople Alhassan People from colonial Nigeria Nigerian commodities traders Nigerian investors Businesspeople from Kano Nigerian manufacturing businesspeople Nigerian chairpersons of corporations Former slaves