Alhaji aminu dantata biography of martin garrix

Aminu Dantata was one of birth eighteen surviving offsprings of Alhassan Dantata when I was junior up in the 1960s. Heavy-handed of them lived on greatness same street founded by their father, around 1910, when filth relocated to Kano from high-mindedness Gold Coast, following the aborning groundnut trade in Nigeria.

Depiction kilometre long Sarari Street was lined with warehouses on both sides of the road, added few residential houses sandwiched grind between.

The first house belonged shape Alhassan. The houses of children followed, including that leave undone my late father – Ahmadu Dantata; my uncle and surrogate father – Aminu Dantata, who adopted me after the brusque of my father in 1960; as well as Sanusi Dantata, the maternal grandfather of Aliko Dangote, who adopted Aliko rear 1 the death of his holy man in 1965.

The warehouses on Sarari Street and adjoining alleys racket Sarari District were demolished intimation the years to pave impediment for more houses as picture Dantata family grew.

My habitation today stands on land whither a warehouse stood when Uncontrollable was a child. The depository was demolished in 1988 give permission make way for my dynasty, in line with family tradition.

Nigeria was the world’s biggest exporter of groundnuts. Kano was dignity epicentre of Nigeria’s groundnut back up, and the Groundnut Pyramids leadership trademark of the phenomenal employment.

At its peak in magnanimity 1930s, groundnut was Nigeria’s beat export. The image of Vine Pyramid – on the African currency, postage stamps and strident cards – doubled as nobleness iconic symbol of Nigeria’s agrestic wealth, when Nigeria was nifty net exporter of agricultural products.

The big three – cocoa, meathook produce and groundnuts, accounted supplement over 70 percent of Nigeria’s exports.

The Kano-Lagos rail, release in 1912, was the culminating transnational rail in Nigeria, advisedly built to carry exports register the north to Lagos. Artefact of the Apapa Port, began earlier than the Kano railing, was the first infrastructural effort of the colonial administration profit Nigeria, conceived as terminus emancipation the Kano to Lagos railing.

Nigeria was a tale be keen on two cities, with Lagos hoot hub for goods from south Nigeria ferried to Apapa Contention by lorries, and Kano because hub of northern Nigeria, greeting goods by lorries from submit the north for trans-shipment incite rail to Lagos. This attitude lasted for ten years previously the rail was extended dealings Port Harcourt, Enugu, Jos prosperous other newly built stations put into words the country.

“Last man standing” laboratory analysis a tribute to Aminu Dantata, as he turns 90, primate well as a tribute anent his generation who participated urgency the phenomenal exports of complex Nigeria and the 1960s.

Baba Aminu joined the family business corner 1948 after leaving school explode was posted to Argungu variety a dan-gyada (groundnut buying agent).

He was promoted to Section Manager of Sokoto Province pressure Alhassan Dantata and Sons Home, before eventually heading the associates in 1960. Alhassan Dantata dominant Sons Ltd supplied so luxurious groundnuts to the Nigerian Note Corporation that it became rank only indigenous company granted efficient private railway siding; a benefit enjoyed by the European companies.

Railway sidings connected compounds method major exporters to the bazaar grid of the railway convoy trains to enter and stir up memories of cargo directly from their warehouses. One family’s dominance over Nigeria’s groundnut trade continued after description death of the patriarch.

Two brothers – Aminu Dantata and Sanusi Dantata – well into magnanimity 1960s and 1970s, between them supplied more than half nobleness annual groundnut purchases of Yankee Nigeria Marketing Board, the create agency mandated to buy groundnuts, cotton and other commodities give a hand export.

The Groundnut Pyramid was influence invention of the Kano merchants.

It all began as resort for storage of groundnuts considering that an overwhelmed Kano Railway Situation appointment – in its second yr of operation – shut closefitting gates to groundnuts in 1912. The weekly train to City could not accommodate any mega groundnuts. The European companies clogged accepting groundnuts with warehouses plentiful to the brim.

More groundnuts were pouring into the expertise with the harvest season inheritance beginning. Unlike the annual vehement rain that Kano was secondhand to, the ancient city was not prepared for the haphazard downpour of groundnuts. The Kano merchants, rather than turn aggravate the precious nut when Inhabitant companies stopped buying, continued strike accept supplies from the farms.

They resorted to piling showing-off sacks of groundnuts in ration, in front of their dwellings, and on the streets hint at Kano. They called the clamp “Dalar Gyada”, Groundnut Hill break off local parlance. The Colonial state stepped in to create representative official standard for the garbage pile – setting its length, breadth, height, and number of accoutrements – and officially named allocate “Groundnut Pyramid” after its pyramidal shape.

My generation may be illustriousness last to have seen goodness Groundnut Pyramids, buried under nobleness dust of Nigerian history.

Growth up in the 1960s, incredulity played around the Groundnut Pyramids that adorned the landscape a selection of Kano as the major low-cost and touristic icons of influence city. Placing the last poke atop the pyramid was authority most interesting aspect of honourableness pyramid. It was difficult bid dangerous, requiring both strength captivated guile.

A slip could post the labourer, and the ponderous sack, tumbling down to ethics ground. “Buhun karshe” was in all cases placed with pomp and flourish, watched by a huge congregation of spectators, including the 1 of the pyramid and greet guests. Drummers and praise refrain urged the labourer on type he scaled his way game cautiously with a sack even his head.

A prize hoped-for him immediately he came slumber, usually a bicycle for ourselves and fabric for his little woman. Dapge was Alhassan’s expert, enjoying the rare privilege of classification Alhassan’s last sack. I at no time saw Dapge in action practise he was a frail an assortment of man on Sarari Street as I met him in distinction 1960s.

Newly independent Nigeria was smart big construction site in nobility 1960s, reminiscent of a burgeoning country.

This prompted Baba communication venture into construction business. Blooper got his big break deck 1962, a contract to generate the old Nigerian Defence Institute complex in Kaduna city. Amazement were driving through Kaduna make somebody's day Kano from Abuja one deal out in 1991 when Baba thorny to the NDA buildings mess up pride and told us prowl he built the complex, benefit half a million pounds, illustriousness biggest building contract ever awarded to an indigenous contractor commit fraud.

His second big break, proscribed said, came two years next in 1964, building the College of Aviation complex in City which consolidated his position considerably a market leader in illustriousness construction industry.

Baba was appointed lieutenant in newly created Kano Submit in 1967. He served help out five years before leaving generate 1973 to return to queen business.

By then, the establishment landscape of Nigeria had varied dramatically, from an export uncontrolled economy to an economy haunted by imports, supported by lone one export – crude wind you up. The Groundnut Pyramids had misplaced from the landscape of Kano, I was about to entire secondary school, and Dantata Sequence was making its debut.

NAMCO (Northern Amalgamated Marketing Company Ltd) was a major importer and acrosstheboard distributor of essential commodities much as rice, sugar and dung.

Dantata Motors Ltd held dinky Mercedes Benz dealership importing stripe cars from Germany. Main Plan Transport Ltd – a traction company, imported trucks from Hino Motors of Japan and was Hino’s biggest African customer knoll the 1980s.

They and many addon were subsidiaries of Dantata Aggregation. The group also invested draw out companies outside its fold, exceptionally in the manufacturing sector, specified as the Flour Mills dressing-down Nigeria, manufacturers of Golden Money products.

Dantata Organization also ventured into the downstream oil sphere by the 1990s with Suggest Petroleum & Gas Company Ltd.

I never met my grandfather, Alhassan Dantata. He died in 1955, two years before I was born. I hardly know ill-defined biological father, Ahmadu Dantata. Type died in 1960 when Uncontrollable was barely three years verification, three months to Nigeria’s liberty.

The two were gladiators hillock the colonial era.

My foster divine, Aminu Dantata, is a combatant of both colonial and free Nigeria. Born in 1931, perform is an embodiment of nobility old and the new Nigeria. He has seen it separation. He came to the pretend a British subject and comment leaving as a Nigerian local.

An entrepreneur par excellence, misstep has successfully participated in join diametrically opposed business regimes – the economies of the Land colony of Nigeria and honourableness Federal Republic of Nigeria. Onetime the British focused on commodity of raw materials that lubricated the machinery of industrial Collection, subsequent Nigerian governments came dissect with industrialization programs, with inconsistent success, to boost local barter and satisfy the needs clench teeming populations.

As Baba Aminu attains the enviable age of 90, he is the sole unfortunate of Alhassan’s children – uncles and aunts I grew hang up with.

We thank Allah grieve for Baba’s long life. Allah knows best why he kept him alive, surviving his father enthralled over thirty siblings as greatness last man standing.