Dantata is a Nigerian surname tracing its history to the late 19th century. The scion of the family, Alhassan Dantata was a successful businessman from what is now present day Nigeria. He was born into an Agalawa trading family in the town of Bebeji. Bebeji is a town in Kano State, Nigeria. ...

Alhaji Alhassan was originally a Kola trader (1903-1906?), transporting goods from Kano through Ibadan-Lagos and finally to Accra, Ghana. He was one of the pioneer merchants using this route and was fairly successful trading kola from kano/Bebeji. Alhaji Dantata later dabbled into trading in western clothes, beads and necklaces. Soon later he would make effective changes to consolidate his business.

He chose a kano residency around the time of Abbas, Emir of Kano(1903-1919). This gave him a wider exposure to the political charlatans of the era. And later in 1918, Alhaji Alhassan Dantata a devout muslim soon found a much bigger prize, he was approached by the Niger company(U.A.C) to become an agent for them in the groundnut produce business. He chose to work with the company for different reasons, one was the successful precedent set by cocoa produce merchants in the gold coast. Since then he never looked back. He was also a board member of the Nigerian Railway Corporation. Alhaji Dantata died in 1955 and was survived by 18 children, including Alhaji Aminu Dantata (Express Petroleum) and Abdulkadir Sanusi Dantata (Dantata and Sawoe). At the time of his death he could arguably be described as the richest West African in the British colonies. The surname of Alhaji Alhassan Dantata, is used today by over a thousand children, grand children, great grand children, and perhaps relatives of the great Alhassan Dantata.Currently Alhaji Aminu Dantata is the Godfather and holder of the family, with children and some air's to the dantata's family responsibility.Children; Tejudden whom is the eldest and the next and posible air to dantata family with some fellow brother Hassan and Sadiq.And with teenage Air's; Bashir a head of the young adults, followed by Hussain and Faisal. And finally the youn air's; Khali Son of tajudden, Mohammad the last child in the family, and Ahmad a grand child that lived with the family. All of these men and young adults have been trained and brought up with great responsibilities in a way to hold and organise the family in each of their time to come.

External links

• History of Alhassan Dantata
• Dantata Family
• Tribute to Alhassan Dantata
• Dantata Business