Saudi Arabia Grants Burial Honour in Madinah for Late Nigerian Tycoon Alhaji Aminu Dantata

The family of the late Nigerian business mogul and philanthropist, Alhaji Aminu Alhassan Dantata, has confirmed that the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has graciously approved his burial in the Holy City of Madinah. This rare honour places him among a select group of global Muslim personalities to be interred near the revered precincts of the Prophet Muhammad’s Mosque (Masjid An-Nabawi), one of the most sacred sites in Islam.

According to a statement from the family on Saturday, arrangements are already in motion for his Janazah (funeral prayer), scheduled to be held tomorrow within the grounds of the Prophet’s Mosque. The prayer is expected to draw hundreds of dignitaries, religious leaders, and well-wishers from across the Islamic world who have continued to pay tribute to the late patriarch’s immense contributions to business, charity, and the Islamic faith.

Alhaji Aminu Dantata, who passed away earlier this week at the age of 93, was a towering figure in Nigeria’s private sector and a respected elder statesman in the Muslim community. As a scion of the legendary Dantata family of Kano, he played a central role in expanding Nigeria’s commercial landscape through investments spanning construction, agriculture, trading, and oil.

Throughout his life, Dantata was renowned for his humility, generosity, and deep commitment to Islamic values. He was a major benefactor of mosques, Qur’anic schools, orphanages, and educational institutions across Northern Nigeria. His philanthropic legacy also extended beyond Nigeria’s borders, where he supported Islamic causes and humanitarian initiatives globally.

Alhaji Aminu Dantata, his wives, his children, his grandchildren, his great-grandchildren and his great-great-grandchildren.

The family expressed profound gratitude to the Saudi authorities for the exceptional gesture, describing it as a befitting recognition of Alhaji Dantata’s lifelong devotion to Islam and his service to humanity.

“The family is humbled by the Kingdom’s approval for our beloved father to be laid to rest in Madinah,” a family spokesperson said. “It is an honour that reflects his enduring love for the faith and his contributions to the Ummah.”

Prominent Nigerian leaders, traditional rulers, and Islamic clerics have continued to offer condolences and celebrate his life. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in a tribute, described Dantata as “a guiding light whose life exemplified discipline, entrepreneurship, and service to God and humanity.”

With preparations now underway in Madinah, the burial ceremony is expected to mark a solemn but dignified farewell to one of Nigeria’s most influential post-independence businessmen and devout Muslim leaders.