Family used as storage for groundnuts. During the mid-20th century, these structures were used in Northern Nigeria, particularly in
Kano. His maternal great-grandfather,
Alhassan Abdullahi Dantata, supplied groundnuts to the
Royal Niger Company, and was one of its earliest and most prolific adopters. Aliko Mohammad Dangote was born on 10 April 1957, in Kano, Kano State, British Nigeria. His name "Aliko" was given to him by his maternal grandfather,
Sanusi Dantata; it means "the victorious one who defends humanity". Born to
a prominent Nigerian family, Dangote is of
Hausa descent. Raised a
Muslim, he was educated in a
Madrasa and completed his primary education in a public school. His mother, Mariya (
née Dantata), from a wealthy family, was a businesswoman and philanthropist. His father Mohammed Dangote was also a businessman; he owned a transport company. Aliko had three siblings:
Sani Dangote, a businessman who died of
colorectal cancer; Bello, who died in a 1996 plane crash alongside the son of
Sani Abacha; and Garba, who died in 2013 after a
stroke. Dangote's family were influential business people. His maternal great-grandfather,
Alhassan Abdullahi Dantata, was the richest person in West Africa until his death in 1955. During his business career, Alhassan imported
kola nuts from
Ghana, and exported
groundnuts abroad. After Dangote's father died in 1965, he donated his inheritance to charity. He regards his maternal grandfather, Sanusi, and his maternal uncle, Usman Amaka Dantata, as influential paternal figures in his upbringing.
Education and marriage in Cairo Dangote was educated at Sheikh Ali Kumasi Madrasa for his primary school and later finished at Capital High School in Kano. In 1978, he graduated from the
Government College, Birnin Kudu, where he had his secondary education. He left Nigeria for Egypt after his secondary education, and studied at
Al-Azhar University in
Cairo, Egypt. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in business studies and administration, before returning to
Lagos to pursue business ventures. According to Nigerian website
Legit.ng, unlike Dangote, his wives hate publicity, which may be the reason there is little information about them in the media. In 1977, at the age of twenty, he married his first wife, Zainab, who was chosen by his parents in accordance with local customs. The couple had two daughters, Maria and
Halima. They later divorced, although the exact date is not known. At an unspecified date, he entered into a second marriage with Mariya Muhammad Rufai, the daughter of the former
Bauchi State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Human Services. This union produced one daughter, Fatima. The marriage ended in divorce in 2017. ==Business career==