The news of Alhaji Aminu Alhassan Dantata's death at the age of 94 hit the Nigerian news media on the 28th of June, 2025. Several condolence messages have since been extended from friends and well wishers to his large family, including Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Nigeria's foremost business man, whose uncle he was.
Aminu Dantata was what Nigerians would call "Old Money", a man who broke through as early as in the 1960s, at a very young age. Although he was from a wealthy lineage, it still takes a lot to not just sustain wealth but to grow it. Just like the Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffett, during his lifetime Aminu Dantata could be regarded as the proverbial Oracle of Kano, a prominent northern Nigerian state, with a good number of business and political leaders and aspiring figures within and outside the country paying homage to him regularly and seeking his counsel. He was involved in several businesses spanning across Trading, construction, Real estate, manufacturing, banking, and oil and gas. He famously founded Express Petroleum and Gas Company Limited and was one of the organizers of Jaiz Bank, an Islamic bank in Nigeria. And at a point in his life, participated in politics and governance.
We recently saw an interview with him by Trust TV Nigeria, where he was gracious enough to let out some Personal Finance and Investment nuggets, which we want to share with you in this article.
Trading: Aminu Dantata was fortunate to be born into a lineage of merchants, hence he learnt how to trade from a very early age through his father's training and mentorship. In today's world you would most likely be better off if you were doing some form of buying and selling in addition to your main occupation. You would most likely ride the economic waves better if you were involved in trading. Whether it is commodity, stocks, or your skills, you would do much better if you could learn the art of selling. There are so many benefits of this, but one of the most important is that it sharpens your eyes for business opportunities, even in the midst of challenges. In addition to your main job or occupation, you can pick up a side hustle that involves some form of trading (selling stuff), tangible or intangible items, goods or services, to learn the art of trading and begin to thrive in it.
Real Estate: Aminu Dantata emulated his fathers love for buying land and real estate in general. He said that his father bought a lot of land across Nigeria, all through the locations traversed by railways, both to support his groundnut business supply chain and to fulfil his desire of ownership. Aminu Dantata imbibed the same passion for real estate, and said in the interview that he had lost count of his real estate holdings, with parcels of land and real estate properties across several geographies including Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Egypt, UK, Germany, America, etc., based on his preferences. We can embrace the same concept and do it at our respective levels, but remain guided by similar principles - own real estate, and pick some form of development that you can use as a guide to select the right locations (just like his father used the railway routes and his groundnut supply chain requirements).
Ownership of Shares in Companies: Aminu Dantata said that in addition to his other busines interests, he bought 10% shares of Sokoto Cement Company in the 1960s. During the indigenization period of the 1970s in Nigeria the Dantata group also bought shares and held significant holdings in Nigerian companies such as Mentholatum, SCOA, Funtua Cotton Seed Crushing Company, Raleigh Industries. With such antecedents it is most likely that he would have continued in that line and bought shares in more Nigerian companies as time went by and the country grew post colonization. In the same vein you can embrace this concept and regularly search through the Stock market in your country or wherever you are most comfortable with to begin to invest in shares of viable companies in order to leverage on compounding to build wealth.
Philanthropy: Alhaji Dantata was a giver and his guiding philosophy was "If you give to God, He will reward you bountifully". As he said in the interview, he gave bountifully and believed that it was for the sake of God, and that God rewarded him bountifully. Taking a cue from this, always dedicate a portion of your earnings to giving back to society in whatever form you think fit. The Universe has a way of rewarding givers bountifully, and more importantly it brings a sense of fulfilment especially when it is dedicated to a course you deeply care about.
Enjoyed his wealth: Aminu Dantata enjoyed his massive wealth with his large family, friends, and countrymen as he said. He even went on holiday trips with his children and large family, including his in-laws. According to him, he bought his first private aircraft around 1967 at £10 thousand, and has continued to have one since then. The last jet he owned was bought at about 38 million Dollars. Of course, as we build wealth we should learn to be intentional about enjoying our wealth while we are alive. Not necessarily excessively. However, frugality should not be misconstrued to imply suffering. And while at it let's endeavour to carry our loved ones along to the extent that we can.
Alright, there you have it- Lessons from one of Nigeria's most successful and respected business men. We extend our condolences to the entire Aminu Dantata family and wish them well.
Thanks for reading, and Happy Investing! Feel free to drop your comments below.
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