Mahmud Dantata (1922–1983), often known as Mamuda Dantata, was a Nigerian businessman and politician who represented Kano East under the platform of NPC in the Nigerian House of Representatives from 1965 to 1966. Dantata was originally sympathetic to the cause of the opposition party NEPU, led by

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 ...

but after an incarceration, he aligned with the dominant party to defeat Aminu Kano for a seat in the House of Representatives in 1964.

Life

Dantata was born in the Sarari quarters of

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 ...

in 1922. He was one of the most famous sons of Alhassan Dantata, popularly known as Mamuda Wapa, a wealthy merchant, Dantata completed his formal education in

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 ...

. Thereafter, he joined his father's business in 1945. In 1948, he branched out on his own, setting up investments in tourism, hotel, currency trading, sugar mill and petrol stations. His hotel was built in Wapa of

Fagge Fagge is a Local Government Area in Kano State, Nigeria, within the state metropolitan . Its headquarters are in the suburb of Waje. It has an area of 21 km and a population of 198,828 at the 2006 census. The postal code of the area is 70 ...

quarters of Kano. By 1950, he started exploring ways to transport pilgrims by road through

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

. He founded a

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

Company which was known as West African Pilgrimage Agency (WAPA), and acquired buses for the transportation of pilgrims. A year later, he started a chartered flight service to transport pilgrims by air from Kano. In the Fagge quarters of Kano, he reclaimed a swampy land to build WAPA house, the area later became known for currency trading. Dantata himself soon dedicated a section of his business to currency trading. On 22 November 1957, Dantata was charged with illegal printing of currency notes and was represented by H. O. Davies, S. O. Lambo and C. A. J. Nwajei. Around 4000 people gathered outside the courthouse during the trial. He was ultimately found guilty and sentenced to eight years in prison. Before this imprisonment, Dantata was married to Ummulkulthum, a daughter of Sheikh

Ibrahim Niass Ibrāhīm Niasse (1900–1975)—or , , ''Shaykh al-'Islām al-Ḥājj Ibrāhīm ibn al-Ḥājj ʿAbd Allāh at-Tijānī al-Kawlakhī'' —was a Senegalese major leader (wolof) of the Tijānī Sufi order of Islam in West Africa. His followers ...

, but due to his arrest, the Sheikh dissolved the marriage. After his release in July 1964, he switched political allegiance from 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) to 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). Formerly the only supporter of NEPU within the Dantata family, he became the NPC candidate for the Kano East District. He ran against

, leader of NEPU and the incumbent MP for the district and was able to win the election, succeeding Aminu as the MP for Kano East. He held this position until the 1966 coup, which brought the end of the First Republic. WAPA house diversified into lodging and cinema and the businesses were managed by Sabo Bakin Zuwo who later became Kano state's Governor in 1983.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dantata, Mahmud 1922 births 1983 deaths 20th-century Nigerian businesspeople Dantata family Businesspeople from Kano People from Kano State