For most of his 94 years, Nigerian billionaire Aminu Dantata held fast to a deeply personal wish that went far beyond the riches he earned – to be buried in Madina, the holy city where the Prophet Muhammad was interred.
On July 1, that wish was fulfilled as the industrialist and philanthropist was laid to rest in the revered Baqiyya cemetery, following Islamic funeral prayers at the Prophet's Mosque.
Aminu died on June 28 in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, but his burial was delayed as Saudi authorities processed the approval required for interment in one of Islam's holiest cities.
The wait underscored both the exclusivity of the honour and the determination of those who worked to fulfil Aminu's final request.
Although prayers for the departed billionaire had been held back in his native Nigeria’s Kano city during the weekend, Nigerian government delegations, dignitaries and politicians trooped to Madina for the funeral.
By Tuesday, the who's who of Nigerian politics and community leadership had assembled in the holy city. Cabinet ministers, led by Nigeria's minister of defence, Muhammad Badaru Abubakar, state governors, and traditional rulers stood vigil alongside family members of the deceased ahead of the burial.
The Islamic funeral prayers took place on the premises of the Prophet's Mosque in Madina in the evening, followed by the burial as dusk set in.
Tributes have been pouring in for the late businessman, with Nigerian President Bola Tinubu describing Dantata’s death as a monumental national loss.
"With the death of Alhaji Dantata today, we lost a prominent business mogul, patriot, and elder statesman who contributed significantly to the growth and development of our nation,’’ President Tinubu said, according to a statement by his special adviser, Bayo Onanuga.
"Alhaji Dantata will be remembered for his industry, diligence, steadfastness, and great commitment to national unity through his many business ventures and philanthropic activities that touched countless lives of Nigerians," he added.
Roots in Kano
Aminu lived most of his life in his hometown of Kano, the commercial hub of northern Nigeria and the historic nucleus of mercantile caravans associated with trans-Saharan trade.
From this base, he built an economic empire that encompassed exportable commodities, manufacturing and construction. This unrelenting pursuit of success in business was balanced by a philanthropic purpose that ultimately defined Aminu's life and times.
He was also a maternal uncle to Africa's richest man, Aliko Dangote, whose business philosophy and life's mission mirror the former's in many ways.
As the patriarch of a business dynasty, Aminu inherited not just wealth but a commercial legacy founded by his father, Alhassan Dantata, during the heyday of Nigerian exports.
In those days, when British colonialism was still in place, Alhasan was acknowledged as the wealthiest man in West Africa.
He was among the first indigenous traders licensed by British colonial administrators as a buying agent responsible for the efficient evacuation of groundnut and cotton from rural agrarian communities.
These items were reserved for European markets, and the trade depended on an exclusive club of middlemen who had sufficient capital to finance pre-season planting of cash crops.
Until long after Nigeria gained independence, the famed groundnut pyramids of Kano and cotton remained the mainstay of the Nigerian economy.
When a network of railroads connecting Kano to the shores of Lagos in western Nigeria was built in 1911, it turned the province into the primary northern railhead for agriculture-based commerce. Kano also became the distribution centre for imported commodities intended for north Nigeria and neighbouring Niger Republic.
Heir to an empire
As Kano rose from an old trans-Saharan trading route to the hub of industrial growth, the Dantata family remained the fulcrum of this transformation.
After the death of Alhassan Dantata in August 1955, Aminu took the baton and led his extended family, comprising brothers and nephews, in spearheading Nigeria's industrialisation.
Under his leadership, the Dantata clan played a pivotal role in Kano's transformation into a modern commercial centre.
The transformation went beyond simple trade expansion. The family's influence helped shift Nigeria from colonial agricultural exports toward industrial development, with Kano at the epicentre of this economic evolution.
What set Aminu apart from many business figures was his commitment to philanthropy. From the 1950s until his death, he supported numerous charitable causes, including both religious and educational institutions.
Aminu's wish to be buried in Madina wasn't just another wish of someone born into money and privilege. It defined what he stood for.
