Business Brands: The rise, struggles of top northern brands

From the ancient markets of Kano to the trading ports of Maiduguri, Northern Nigeria has produced generations of enterprising merchants who built vast commercial empires across West Africa and beyond. These self-made tycoons – trading in almost everything, created enduring legacies that shaped the region’s economic landscape. Yet as Weekend Trust’s findings reveal, while some […]

From the ancient markets of Kano to the trading ports of Maiduguri, Northern Nigeria has produced generations of enterprising merchants who built vast commercial empires across West Africa and beyond. These self-made tycoons – trading in almost everything, created enduring legacies that shaped the region’s economic landscape. Yet as Weekend Trust’s findings reveal, while some family businesses have thrived across generations, many once-mighty empires now struggle under heirs who face mounting challenges to preserve their inheritance. This report traces the remarkable journeys of Northern Nigeria’s business titans, examining why some dynasties endure while others continue to struggle.

 

Kano

For centuries, Kano has produced great merchants and traders who traded kolanut and other products in Gonja (Ghana), Sierra Leone, Togo and other places.

In the olden days, Kano traders were orientated towards Tripoli in Libya and other big cities in the Maghreb, where they traded in hides and skin, building business empires at home that have given Kano its ‘Centre of Commerce’ status.

After the colonial conquest, Kano continued in the same trajectory and was christened the commercial nerve centre of northern Nigeria, hosting major factories in textile, tanning, footwear, beverages, among others.

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Historically, Kano has produced several self-made billionaires, whose fortunes were taken over by their descendants, who in turn continued in the family tradition. While many succeeded, others failed to nurture and sustain the family business.

 

Alhassan Dantata

Alhassan Dantata was a Nigerian businessman and philanthropist. Through his trade with large British companies, he became one of the wealthiest men in West Africa during his time.
He was born in 1877 in Bebeji, Kano Emirate. Both his parents were prosperous caravan leaders (‘madugu’) of Agalawa origin. The Agalawa were a group of long distance traders.
Alhassan’s father, Abdullahi, was a son of another prominent Agalawa merchant, Baba Talatin, who came from Katsina.
From 1926, Alhassan Dantata reportedly utilised the newly established railway to promote cattle trade with Lagos and revitalized the kolanut trade with Western Nigeria. In 1929, when the Bank of British West Africa opened a branch in Kano, he famously deposited twenty camel-loads of silver coins, becoming the first Kano businessman to use a bank.  By the 1940s, he bought and sold about 20,000 tons of groundnut in a year.
His descendants have continued in the same tradition of businesses, to the extent that anyone with the surname, Dantata, is considered wealthy. His sons, Amadu Dantata, Mamuda Dantata, Sanusi Dantata and Aminu Dantata, are known all over Nigeria and beyond as wealthy men.

 

Dangote

Aliko Dangote, a descendant of the Dantata family from his mother, was born on 10 April 1957, and he reportedly started his first serious business with a loan from his uncle. Before then, he traded food products, and has cited selling boiled sugar sweets at the age of eight to his classmates, and would keep the profits.

He obtained Nigerian government import license and added cement to his business in the mid-to-late 1970s during a period where the government ordered the importation of 16 million metric tons of cement for infrastructure and development projects.

It was told that unfortunately, many cement-loaded ships remained at Lagos harbour, while others sank. They were given demurrage fee as compensation for delay and during that period, Dangote purchased trucks and began cargo transportation business where he also carried his cements and that of others.

In 1977, Dangote’s company began the production of pasta, salt, sugar, and flour only. In 1981, he expanded his company into a conglomerate, which traded textiles, sugar, flour, salt, oil and gas, and real estate. In 1998, however, his sugar refinery in Lagos became the second largest in the world. Dangote Group has been considered as one of the largest conglomerates in Africa.

1n 2000, he acquired Benue Cement Company (BBC), now a defunct state-owned company in Benue State and this allowed Dangote to expand his cement business in Benue, and later, his Obajana cement plant in Kogi State became the largest cement plant in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2010. The group acquired some part of South African Sephaku Cement.

His dream of becoming an oil magnate became a reality with the establishment of the Dangote Refinery, the largest oil refinery in Africa. The refinery was commissioned in 2023.

 

Isyaku Rabiu

He was born to the family of Muhammadu Rabiu Dan Tinki, a Quranic preacher from the Bichi area of Kano State who led his own Quranic school. From 1936 to 1942, Rabiu attended his father’s school learning the Quran and Arabic. He then moved to Maiduguri, Borno for further Islamic education. After spending four years in Maiduguri, he returned to Kano prepared to be an Islamic scholar.

In the early 1950s, while he was a teacher, he began to engage in private enterprise and established Isyaku Rabiu & Sons in 1952. Originally, the firm acted as an agent of UAC and traded in sewing machines, religious books, and bicycles. In 1958, when Kaduna Textile Limited was established, the firm became one of the early distributors.

Rabiu became the leading distributor in Northern Nigeria. In 1963, he joined a consortium of businessmen from Kano who formed Kano Merchants Trading Company. The establishments survived competition from foreign products. In 1970, Rabiu established a suit and packing factory.

Weekend Trust reports that there are several other prosperous businesses that sprung from the late Isyaku Rabiu family.

 

BUA

Abdul Samad Isyaku Rabiu is another rich person from Kano, just like Dangote.

He was born on the 4th of August 1960, and as of 2024, he is the second richest man in Nigeria. His late father, Khalifah Isyaka Rabi’u was one of Nigeria’s foremost industrialists in the 1970s and 1980s. He is the founder and chairman of BUA Group.

The company was established in 1988 for the sole purpose of commodity trading. The company imported rice, edible oil, flour, and iron and steel. In 1990, the government, which owned Delta Steel Company, contracted with BUA to supply its raw materials in exchange for finished products.

It was revealed that this provided a much-needed windfall for the young company. BUA expanded further into steel, producing, importing iron ore, and constructing multiple rolling mills in Nigeria.

Years later, BUA acquired Nigerian Oil Mills Limited, the largest edible oil processing company in Nigeria. In 2005 BUA started two flour-milling plants, in Lagos and Kano states respectively and by 2008, BUA had broken an eight-year monopoly in the Nigerian sugar industry by commissioning the second largest sugar refinery in sub-Saharan Africa.

However, in 2009 the company went on to acquire a controlling stake in publicly listed Cement Company in Northern Nigeria and began to construct a $900 million cement plant in Edo State and was able to complete it in 2015.

He is into several businesses and it is believed that BUA will soon venture into the oil and gas sector as well.

Besides Dantata and Isyaku Rabiu families, Baba Nabegu, Na Baba Badamasi, and many others are also on the list of business owners in Kano.

Indeed, Kano is synonymous with a success story; but despite the acumen of its people, some of the prominent and wealthy businessmen died leaving their descendants struggling to sustain and continue the business empires built by their forbears.

 

Alhaji Sani Marshal: From bus conductor to industrial fame

The late Sani Usman Marshal, a pioneer industrialist in Kano, was until his death a philanthropist who dedicated his life to service to humanity. Born in 1928, Sani was able to devote some time to learn trade and skills by doing some odd jobs while still receiving Qur’anic education in the ancient city.

According to his biographer, Sani Marshal ventured into bicycle hire and repair and later became a bus conductor. He had attempted to join the Kano Native Authority Police Force in 1943, but was regarded to be too young to be a policeman, and therefore, rejected. The young energetic Marshal continued his bicycle hire business until 1949, when he had cause to migrate to Nguru, where he met the young Isyaku Rabiu, who had come to the town to study the Holy Qur’an.

His work as a bus conductor took him to places like Sokoto, Gusau, Katsina, Maiduguri, Gombe, Yola, Jos, Benue, Abeokuta etc. The young Marshal had also visited Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Cote d’Ivoire.

Sani Marshal’s successes in the transportation business made him to exclusively own and control the largest and most successful indigenous middle scale industries in Kano, the Kaura Biscuit and Macaroni Limited. He also owned the famous Kano Residential Hotel and some real estates, providing job opportunities and improving the livelihoods of many residents of Kano State. He began his real estate business by building and renting of houses between 1967 and 1972, before delving into hotel business and biscuit and macaroni factories.

He was also a philanthropist as he built several mosques and schools, including the Government Secondary School, Kura, which he handed over to the Kano State Government.

But after his death, several of his investments are struggling to remain afloat.

One of his sons, Alhaji Usman Sani Marshal, who is the managing director of Kaura Macaroni Company in Kano, said they were operating at 25 per cent from the initial 30 per cent after the revival of the companies, following the death of Alhaji Sani Marshall.

Usman Marshall had told  Daily Trust in 2021 that the children always wanted to revive their father’s legacy and the federal government schools feeding programme accorded them the opportunity to produce macaroni, essentially for the programme and gradually began commercial production.

However, the managing director said the school feeding programme was not sustained, thereby, retarding the company’s projected growth.

“Today, we are producing at 25 per cent, largely because the school feeding programme is no longer there, coupled with high cost of electricity. These two affect our operations, among other things. But we are hopeful that government would address them in due course,” he told our reporter.

Like the late Sani Marshal, Surajo Marshall is into hotel and tourism business through his Haitell Hotel, just like his younger brother, Shittu Marshall. Both have delved into politics, with Surajo serving as the chairman of Nasarawa Local Government.

 

Muhammadu Adamu Dan Kabo pioneered private airline business

Born in April 1942, the late Adamu Dankabo worked for the Nigerian Airways, rising through the ranks to the very top.

He was the owner of Kabo Air, a company he established in February 1980 and started operations in April 1981.

His successes in the aviation industry spanning over 26 years with 7 Boeing 747 made him the sole owner of the largest fleet of long range of private aircraft.

His company, Kabo Air started by operating special charter services for corporate bodies, executives and government officials. The company was said to have stopped operating domestic services in 2001 and focused on Hajj flight operations and international charters.

In 2009, with the efforts of Dan Kabo, the airline received approval to start international scheduled flight services. Traffic rights were given to Kabo Air to operate scheduled services to Rome, Nairobi and N’Djamena, but it could not successfully execute this; instead, it operated scheduled flights from Kano to Abuja, Cairo, Dubai and Jeddah for a short period.

The late Kabo gradually became synonymous with airplane business in the country with his Kabo Air.

But few years after his death on April 4, 2002, the establishment crumbled. 

Findings have shown that the descendants of the late Adamu Dan Kabo are struggling to navigate in the risk-laden and uncertain business terrain in the country.

A former staff member of Kabo Air who prefers to remain anonymous said regardless of some liabilities, the Kabo family members were working together to revive the company.

 “I know of efforts to revive Kabo Air by family members. I hope this happens soon,” he told our reporter.

The late Dan Kabo also owned Durbar Hotel, which is still in operation. One of his sons, Idris Adamu Dan Kabo, is said to be overseeing the hotel business. When our reporter tried to reach him for comments, he was said to be out of the state.

 

Alhaji Sufiyanu Madugu: Founder of Madugu and Sons

Alhaji Sufiyanu Madugu is the son of Ali, popularly known as Madugu Mai Rawani (caravan leader identified with turban). Madugu started his business by selling essential food items and later registered as AS Madugu and Sons.

He was born at Chediyar Kuda in the ancient city of Kano around 1937. He did not attend a formal school, but adult classes at the Igbo Union in Sabon Gari, which was later changed to Mai Kwatashi School.

His father introduced him to trading at a young age, and through hard work and perseverance, he established himself as a successful businessman. He founded Dala Foods Limited, a company that produces Dala tea bags and a local drink, kunun tsamiya, fura and others.

Madugu died on February 3, 2003 after a brief illness at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, leaving behind 39 children, among whom is Alhaji Ali Sufiyanu Madugu.

The young Madugu is a famous industrialist who stepped into the shoes of his late father, running Dala Foods Limited as managing director/chief executive officer with a renewed vigour and zeal to take the business to unenviable heights.

Dala Foods Limited under Ali Safiyanu Madugu had expanded its frontier of business as a food processing company, adding products like grinded maize flour, guinea corn flour, among others.

 

Alhaji Ibrahim Mijinyawa: From petty trading to Sahad Stores

Alhaji Ibrahim Mijinyawa started as a petty trader in Marmara Quarters where he lived in the ancient city of Kano and later owned a shop at Kabara Quarters in front of the residence of the prominent Islamic scholar, Sheikh Nasiru Kabara, selling baby wears and children clothing.

A resident of Mandawari Quarters, Awwal Muhammad remembers that as a growing child in the 1980s, his mother used to buy English wears for him from the shop of Alhaji Mijinyawa. Lower prices for his wares attracted many parents, who preferred to buy clothes from him during festivities like Sallah or Maulud.

Alhaji Ibrahim Mijinyawa would later move his business to a bigger building at Daneji, where Sahad Stores started. The shop was first named Fahad Stores and later changed to Sahad Stores during the Gulf war when Allied forces led by the United States was launching attacks on Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. Saudi Arabian King Fahad was unpopular in Kano for allegedly supporting and giving the allied forces a military base on Saudi soil.

Alhaji Ibrahim Mijinyawa’s business philosophy is predicated on growing a little turnover as he does not believe in high profit margin through higher prices. Little wonder, even foreigners like the Chinese, Lebanese and Indians resident in Kano would drive to Sahad Stores in Daneji on shopping sprees.

Sahad Stores expanded its frontiers, opening more branches in Kano and Abuja.

In Kano, a big shopping complex on the ever busy Zoo Road and another at Bachirawa, Katsina Road were opened, bringing the business closer to people and giving customers a variety of shopping options.

The Abuja branch, a three-storey residential building turned shopping complex in Wuse Zone 4, was opened but the policies of the Federal Capital Administration then made him to relocate to Area 11,Garki. Another branch at the central business district would soon come on board.

Sahad Stores has three branches in Kano, three in Abuja, one each in Kaduna and Dutse, Jigawa State.  Interestingly, all Sahad Stores buildings are wholly owned by Alhaji Ibrahim Mijinyawa.

His philanthropic activities endeared him to many people. He built a Friday mosque in his native Madobi town, in addition to Zakkat, which he gives out every year.

AA Rano

Auwalu Abdullahi Rano, widely known as AA Rano is the founder, CEO, and chairman of AA Rano Nigeria. He is among the new set of businessmen that are currently stirring the northern businesses.

He started with the oil and gas sector and later expanded to airline services, and agro-related industries. He has petrol stations across Nigeria and they have continued to expand.  Born in1974, AA Rano’s business empire is expanding and he is making name day by day as a businessman and a philanthropist not only in Kano State but across Nigeria in general as his workforce spanned in thousands.

 

Aliko Oil

Alhaji Aliko Bebeji is the CEO of Aliko Oil, a conglomerate of oil businesses that is growing stronger despite all barriers. He has been very instrumental to the development of many sectors in Kano State.
He has provided employment to thousands of people.

 

AZMAN

Alhaji Abdulmunaf Yunusa Sarina is the founder and President of AZMAN Oil and Gas with several fuel stations across the length and breadth of the business, Dr Abdulmunaf incorporated an Oil and Gas Company, Azman Oil and Gas Nigeria Limited in 2007.

He established Azman Air Services Limited in 2010. The company which is wholly owned by him commenced operation in 2014 with two Boeing 737-300. He later established two other companies namely Azman Fertilizer and Agro Allied Ltd. and Azman Rice Mills and Farm Limited in 2015. Weekend Trust gathered that his business has continued to grow.