Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called on the Federal Government to immortalize the late Alhaji Aminu Dantata by naming a public facility after him.
The former vice president stated that this would be in acknowledgement of Dantata’s immense humanitarian and economic contributions.
Atiku called the death of Dantata, a Kano State-born millionaire businessman, a devastating loss.
Atiku stated that the loss affected not just the people of Kano State but also the Nigerian business community and Africa in general.
In a statement released on Saturday in Abuja, Atiku said his death was a significant loss due to his immense contributions to the national economy and employment creation.
He stated that he was devastated by the passing of such an astute and veteran businessman, who was a legendary figure in Nigeria and Africa and whose family name instantly rings a bell.
“Dantata was a successful businessman for decades who had inspired a generation of other younger people to venture into business investment and prosperity.
“It is impossible to talk about business issues in Nigeria without a reference to the Dantata family,” he said.
He mentioned that Dantata, who died at 94, was a risk taker, one of the qualities of great entrepreneurs and business investors.
“I’m particularly impressed by how the late Dantata transformed the family businesses from traditional buying and selling into modern civil engineering and construction services that had created thousands of jobs for Nigerians,” he said.
Atiku said that the deceased was also inspired with a desire to serve humanity as a result of his significant humanitarian endeavours, which he carried out silently.
“Dantata was a remarkable person who engaged in philanthropic activities without seeking publicity for his good deeds to humanity.
“To be enormously rich without ostentation is a rare quality that made Aminu Dantata a shining public figure, who was a fountain of inspiration for many people,” he said.
The Waziri of Adamawa also described Dantata as “a decent and uncontroversial public figure who avoided divisive utterances.
“This respectable and humble elder had also involved himself in efforts toward the promotion of peaceful coexistence among Nigerians,” he said.
