Kano State Governor, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, on Monday led a high-powered delegation to Saudi Arabia to attend the burial rites of renowned businessman and industrialist, Alhaji Aminu Dantata.
The elder statesman, who passed away at the age of 93 in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, was laid to rest in accordance with Islamic rites at the Al-Mualla Cemetery in the holy city.
Governor Yusuf was accompanied by prominent Kano indigenes including former Central Bank Governor, Alhaji Muhammad Sanusi II, business mogul Aliko Dangote, and several members of the Kano State Executive Council. The delegation joined family members and other dignitaries to pay their last respects to the late patriarch of the Dantata dynasty.
In a statement after the burial, Governor Yusuf described Dantata as “a pillar of Nigeria’s economic development and a philanthropist who touched countless lives.” He noted that the late industrialist’s legacy would continue to inspire generations of entrepreneurs in Nigeria and beyond.
Alhaji Aminu Dantata, son of the legendary Alhaji Alhassan Dantata, was one of Nigeria’s most successful businessmen with investments spanning construction, agriculture and manufacturing. His Dantata Group of Companies played a pivotal role in Nigeria’s infrastructure development, particularly in road construction.
The Kano State Government has declared three days of mourning in honor of the late business icon. A special prayer session will be held at the Kano Central Mosque on Friday, with arrangements being made for a state-assisted memorial service.
Family sources indicate that the late Dantata will be remembered in a series of events in both Nigeria and Saudi Arabia in the coming weeks. His death marks the end of an era for one of Nigeria’s most influential business families.
The burial ceremony was attended by several Saudi government officials, representatives of the Nigerian Embassy, and members of the Nigerian business community in the Gulf region.
