Born on 1st January 1926 to Shuwa Arab parents in Gulfey, the ancestral headquarters of the Kotoko ethnic group in the Republic of Cameroun from where he derived his popular nickname, Kotoko, the late Chairman and Chief Executive of the Kotoko Group Limited began his success story from the bottom of the ladder. Following the death of his father, Muhammad Aburras, the Sheikh or head of the Khider clan of the Shuwa Arabs in 1939, the young Ali relocated to Maiduguri to live with the then Shehu of Borno, Umar Ibn Al-Amin Kyari, one of whose daughters had been married to his deceased father.
However, to pave the path for his great personal achievements, Ali Kotoko refused to lead the life of the privileged and opted to work his way up. In May 1940, he enrolled as an apprentice driver/mechanic under a Yoruba master. He became a licensed driver on the 14th of May 1945 and served his boss diligently and honestly until 1951 when he bought his first commercial lorry and started to work for himself. In 1954, he registered as a contractor/transporter with the defunct Borno Native Authority. It is a mark of his outstanding ability and performance that in just one year, he was recommended and registered as a contractor with the then Northern Regional Government with headquarters in Kaduna.
His hard work, diligence and honesty as a businessman endeared him to the legendary Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto and Premier of the defunct Northern Region who often included him in his entourage in working tours all across the Region. The Sardauna also nominated him as Director in many multinational corporations operating in the North, prominent among which are Balakhany, the British water engineering firm and the Nigerian Four Mills Plc.
After the 1966 military coup and the introduction of federalism, A.A. Kotoko and Sons was registered with the Federal Government of Nigeria and enjoyed even greater patronage. One of the prominent projects in which he was involved was the construction of the iconic Nigerian Defence Academy Kaduna where the popular Kotoko Barracks was named in his honour.
Alhaji Ali Kotoko was also the pioneer President of the North Eastern State Chamber of Commerce and Industry created in 1973. Subsequently, he was elected President of the Borno State Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture and served in the capacity until 1999 when he voluntarily handed over the reins of the organization to its current President, Alhaji Bukar Umar Mandara, the Zanna Dujima of Borno. During this period, he was also a Director in many parastatals of the North Eastern State, the Northern Regional Government and the Borno State Government respectively.
On the international scene, Kotoko was a prominent player in successful peace and conflict resolution missions in many parts of Africa. For example, following his active participation as a member of the Nigerian delegation to the Conference on National Reconciliation in Chad which successfully ended decades of civil war in that country, General Olusegun Obasanjo, in his capacity as Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigeria Armed Forces wrote a letter to him dated 28th September 1979 in which he stated inter alia: “We recognize the sacrifice you had to bear in terms of your time and lost business opportunities, but the selfless manner in which you undertook your assignment in the national interest is exemplary and highly commendable. I am sure that you will find the peace and relative stability now established in the sister Republic of Chad a source of satisfaction and consolation.”
In the same vein, Alhaji Ali Kotoko worked closely with the National Boundary Commission and the multinational Lake Chad Commission comprising Nigeria, Chad, Cameroun and Niger, especially in the resolution of the border disputes between Nigeria and Cameroun which had festered for many years. Some of the prominent propositions he put forward for the resolution of conflicts and insecurity in the border areas include the deployment of indigenous and experienced administrators as well as the involvement of traditional institutions in the management of security matters. Indeed, his contribution to the current cordial and peaceful relations between these two neighbouring countries could not possibly be overestimated.
Similarly, Alhaji Ali Kotoko served on the Commonwealth Business Forum (CBF) which grouped chambers of commerce and industry from the 54 members of the Commonwealth Organisation. In addition to developing and strengthening intra-Commonwealth trade and investment links to generate economic benefits for business and citizens, the CBF has been dedicated to tackling core concerns of member states such as conflicts, poverty, illiteracy and disease.
Kotoko was also a philanthropist on many levels. His philanthropic activities stretched beyond assistance to individuals which was in the form of housing, scholarships and capital grants and included public works free of charge. For instance, during the 1973 drought which devastated especially the North-East, he provided two water tankers that worked round-the-clock to provide potable water free of charge to residents in and around the Borno State capital, Maiduguri. Similarly, between 1973 and 1975, he led his colleagues in the business community to provide 40 tipper trucks which were used to collect and dispose garbage around the metropolis. In terms of infrastructure, he single-handedly financed and constructed the Lagos Street Bridge which remains one of the vital links across the River Gwange in Maiduguri till date.
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