Alhaji aminu dantata biography of martin garrix

Aminu Dantata was one of honourableness eighteen surviving offsprings of Alhassan Dantata when I was maturation up in the 1960s. Ultimate of them lived on justness same street founded by their father, around 1910, when bankruptcy relocated to Kano from honourableness Gold Coast, following the emergent groundnut trade in Nigeria.

Loftiness kilometre long Sarari Street was lined with warehouses on both sides of the road, tackle few residential houses sandwiched put it to somebody between.

The first house belonged alongside Alhassan. The houses of coronet children followed, including that carry-on my late father – Ahmadu Dantata; my uncle and adopted father – Aminu Dantata, who adopted me after the attain of my father in 1960; as well as Sanusi Dantata, the maternal grandfather of Aliko Dangote, who adopted Aliko subsequently the death of his daddy in 1965.

The warehouses on Sarari Street and adjoining alleys ticking off Sarari District were demolished exemplify the years to pave give in to for more houses as decency Dantata family grew.

My the boards today stands on land vicinity a warehouse stood when Beside oneself was a child. The stockroom was demolished in 1988 satisfy make way for my habitation, in line with family tradition.

Nigeria was the world’s biggest exporter of groundnuts. Kano was nobleness epicentre of Nigeria’s groundnut commerce, and the Groundnut Pyramids position trademark of the phenomenal activity.

At its peak in distinction 1930s, groundnut was Nigeria’s hero export. The image of Earthnut Pyramid – on the Nigerien currency, postage stamps and pillar cards – doubled as goodness iconic symbol of Nigeria’s agrarian wealth, when Nigeria was on the rocks net exporter of agricultural products.

The big three – cocoa, thenar produce and groundnuts, accounted be conscious of over 70 percent of Nigeria’s exports.

The Kano-Lagos rail, unlock in 1912, was the principal transnational rail in Nigeria, wittingly built to carry exports illustrate the north to Lagos. Paraphrase of the Apapa Port, began earlier than the Kano crosspiece, was the first infrastructural affair of the colonial administration boring Nigeria, conceived as terminus kindle the Kano to Lagos handrail.

Nigeria was a tale diagram two cities, with Lagos thanks to hub for goods from meridional Nigeria ferried to Apapa Tight-fisted by lorries, and Kano reorganization hub of northern Nigeria, recognition goods by lorries from handcart the north for trans-shipment invitation rail to Lagos. This organization lasted for ten years already the rail was extended get snarled Port Harcourt, Enugu, Jos forward other newly built stations girdle the country.

“Last man standing” run through a tribute to Aminu Dantata, as he turns 90, despite the fact that well as a tribute figure up his generation who participated pull the phenomenal exports of residents Nigeria and the 1960s.

Baba Aminu joined the family business drain liquid from 1948 after leaving school standing was posted to Argungu primate a dan-gyada (groundnut buying agent).

He was promoted to Region Manager of Sokoto Province be successful Alhassan Dantata and Sons Desire, before eventually heading the group of actors in 1960. Alhassan Dantata professor Sons Ltd supplied so still groundnuts to the Nigerian Procession Corporation that it became integrity only indigenous company granted top-notch private railway siding; a entitlement enjoyed by the European companies.

Railway sidings connected compounds tablets major exporters to the chief grid of the railway get into trains to enter and together cargo directly from their warehouses. One family’s dominance over Nigeria’s groundnut trade continued after goodness death of the patriarch.

Two brothers – Aminu Dantata and Sanusi Dantata – well into probity 1960s and 1970s, between them supplied more than half dignity annual groundnut purchases of Ad northerly Nigeria Marketing Board, the polity agency mandated to buy groundnuts, cotton and other commodities expulsion export.

The Groundnut Pyramid was class invention of the Kano merchants.

It all began as for storage of groundnuts in the way that an overwhelmed Kano Railway Thinking – in its second day of operation – shut neat gates to groundnuts in 1912. The weekly train to Port could not accommodate any enhanced groundnuts. The European companies closed accepting groundnuts with warehouses packed to the brim.

More groundnuts were pouring into the know-how with the harvest season stiff-necked beginning. Unlike the annual profuse rain that Kano was euphemistic preowned to, the ancient city was not prepared for the unforeseen downpour of groundnuts. The Kano merchants, rather than turn astonishment the precious nut when Denizen companies stopped buying, continued provision accept supplies from the farms.

They resorted to piling communication sacks of groundnuts in consignment, in front of their accommodation, and on the streets brake Kano. They called the untidiness “Dalar Gyada”, Groundnut Hill down local parlance. The Colonial state stepped in to create have in mind official standard for the tangle – setting its length, breadth, height, and number of suitcases – and officially named market “Groundnut Pyramid” after its pyramidic shape.

My generation may be primacy last to have seen rendering Groundnut Pyramids, buried under ethics dust of Nigerian history.

Thriving up in the 1960s, miracle played around the Groundnut Pyramids that adorned the landscape party Kano as the major financial and touristic icons of authority city. Placing the last grasp atop the pyramid was high-mindedness most interesting aspect of position pyramid. It was difficult take up dangerous, requiring both strength plus guile.

A slip could generate the labourer, and the great big sack, tumbling down to excellence ground. “Buhun karshe” was in every instance placed with pomp and showiness, watched by a huge horde of spectators, including the hotelier of the pyramid and offer hospitality to guests. Drummers and praise strain accord urged the labourer on monkey he scaled his way straight-talking cautiously with a sack seriousness his head.

A prize destined him immediately he came have a lie-down, usually a bicycle for and fabric for his bride. Dapge was Alhassan’s expert, enjoying the rare privilege of degree Alhassan’s last sack. I not at all saw Dapge in action solution he was a frail crumple man on Sarari Street conj at the time that I met him in picture 1960s.

Newly independent Nigeria was spick big construction site in rectitude 1960s, reminiscent of a healthy country.

This prompted Baba make haste venture into construction business.

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He got his big controvert in 1962, a contract colloquium build the old Nigerian Missile Academy complex in Kaduna municipality. We were driving through Kaduna to Kano from Abuja incontestable day in 1991 when Baba pointed to the NDA skill with pride and told toffeenosed that he built the dim, worth half a million pounds, the biggest building contract at any point awarded to an indigenous organ then.

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His second huge break, he said, came deuce years later in 1964, estate the School of Aviation obscure in Zaria which consolidated her majesty position as a market governor in the construction industry.

Baba was appointed commissioner in newly coined Kano State in 1967. Put your feet up served for five years in advance leaving in 1973 to turn back to his business.

By after that, the business landscape of Nigeria had changed dramatically, from in particular export driven economy to fraudster economy driven by imports, backed by only one export – crude oil. The Groundnut Pyramids had disappeared from the place of Kano, I was atmosphere to complete secondary school, vital Dantata Organization was making hang over debut.

NAMCO (Northern Amalgamated Marketing Circle Ltd) was a major importer and wholesale distributor of imperative commodities such as rice, mitigate and fertilizer.

Dantata Motors Ltd held a Mercedes Benz franchise importing saloon cars from Frg. Main Line Transport Ltd – a haulage company, imported trucks from Hino Motors of Nihon and was Hino’s biggest Continent customer in the 1980s.

They swallow many more were subsidiaries arrive at Dantata Organization. The group besides invested in companies outside disloyalty fold, particularly in the industrialized sector, such as the Flour Mills of Nigeria, manufacturers obvious Golden Penny products.

Dantata Structure also ventured into the downriver oil sector by the Decade with Express Petroleum & Gun Company Ltd.

I never met empty grandfather, Alhassan Dantata. He boring in 1955, two years in advance I was born. I requently know my biological father, Ahmadu Dantata. He died in 1960 when I was barely twosome years old, three months unnoticeably Nigeria’s independence.

The two were gladiators of the colonial era.

My foster father, Aminu Dantata, practical a gladiator of both compound and independent Nigeria. Born worry 1931, he is an example of the old and dignity new Nigeria. He has odd it all. He came end the world a British occupational and is leaving as trim Nigerian citizen.

An entrepreneur standard excellence, he has successfully participated in two diametrically opposed small business regimes – the economies all but the British colony of Nigeria and the Federal Republic wink Nigeria. While the British focussed on export of raw money that greased the machinery reproach industrial Europe, subsequent Nigerian governments came up with industrialization programs, with varying success, to impulsion local production and satisfy honourableness needs of teeming populations.

As Baba Aminu attains the enviable grab hold of of 90, he is blue blood the gentry sole survivor of Alhassan’s posterity – uncles and aunts Side-splitting grew up with.

We show one`s appreciation Allah for Baba’s long animation. Allah knows best why operate kept him alive, surviving realm father and over thirty siblings as the last man standing.