Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has urged the federal government to immortalise the late Aminu Dantata, a business mogul, by renaming a public institution after him.

The former vice president said this would be in recognition of Mr Dantata’s immeasurable services to humanity and contributions to the economy.

Mr Abubakar described the demise of the Kano State-born billionaire businessman, Mr Dantata, as an earth-shaking loss.

The politician, in a statement issued on Saturday in Abuja, said Mr Dantata’s death was a huge loss due to his immeasurable contributions to the national economy and job creation.

He said he was devastated by the passing of the businessman, who was a legendary figure in Nigeria and Africa and whose family name instantly rings a bell.

“It is impossible to talk about business issues in Nigeria without a reference to the Dantata family,” he said.

He noted that Mr 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 have created thousands of jobs for Nigerians,” he said.

Mr Abubakar added that Mr Dantata was also imbued with the passion to serve humanity because of his extensive philanthropic activities, which he carried out quietly.

“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 former vice president also described Mr 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 added.

(NAN)