Hamani Diori

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Hamani Diori
President of Niger
In office
3 August 1960 – 15 April 1974
Preceded byHimself as Prime Minister of Niger, French Community
Succeeded bySeyni Kountché
Personal details
Born(1916-06-06)6 June 1916
PPN-RDA
SpouseAissa Diori
RelationsDjibo Bakary (cousin)
ChildrenAbdoulaye Hamani Diori

Hamani Diori (6 June 1916 – 23 April 1989) was the

Republic of Niger. He was appointed to that office in 1960, when Niger gained independence. Although corruption was a common feature of his administration, he gained international respect for his role as a spokesman for African affairs and as a popular arbitrator in conflicts. His rule ended with a coup in 1974
.

Early life

Born in Soudouré, near the capital, Niamey, Diori was the son of a public health officer in the French colonial administration. He attended William Ponty Teachers' Training College in Dakar, Senegal, and worked as a teacher in Niger from 1936 to 1938, then became a Hausa and Djerma foreign language instructor at the Institute of Study Abroad, in Paris.

Independence activism

In 1946, while working as the headmaster of a school in Niger’s capital city of Niamey, he became one of the founders of the

French National Assembly. In the 1951 election, Diori was defeated by his cousin and political rival Djibo Bakary
. He was again elected to the assembly in 1956, and was chosen deputy-speaker.

In 1958, after a referendum that granted Niger

Prime Minister
of the republic in 1959.

Presidency

United States Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Joseph Palmer II
in 1968

Niger gained independence from

Djerma
leaders, including chiefs and traditionalists, in support of Niger’s independence referendum, Diori gained French favor.

Soon after independence, Diori made the PPN to be the only legally permitted party. His government favored the maintenance of traditional social structures and the retention of close economic ties with France. From the early 1960s, he ruled through a small number of pre-independence figures who sat on the PPN Politburo and largely bypassed even the cabinet. In addition to being both president of the republic and president of the PPN, Diori directly led a number of

National Assembly of Niger met in largely ceremonial yearly sittings to ratify government positions. Traditional notables, elected as parliamentary representatives, often unanimously endorsed government proposals. As president of the PPN, Diori was the only candidate for president of the republic, and as such was re-elected unopposed in 1965 and 1970.[3]

He gained worldwide respect for his role as a spokesman for African affairs and as a popular arbitrator in conflicts involving other African nations. Domestically, however, his administration was rife with

drought of the early 1970s. Increasingly criticized at home for his negligence in domestic matters, Diori put down a coup in December 1963, which occurred concurrently with a border dispute with the Republic of Dahomey.[4] He also narrowly escaped assassination in 1965. Faced with an attempted military coup and attacks by members of Sawaba, he used French advisers and troops to strengthen his rule. Close links with France lead to student and union protests against what they described as "French neocolonialism". However, his relationship with France suffered when his government voiced dissatisfaction with the level of investment in uranium production when Georges Pompidou
visited Niger in 1972.

Unrest and fall

Widespread civil disorder followed allegations that some government ministers were misappropriating stocks of food aid and accused Diori of consolidating power. Diori limited cabinet appointments to fellow Djerma, family members, and close friends. In addition, he acquired new powers by declaring himself the minister of foreign and defense affairs. On 15 April 1974, Lieutenant colonel Seyni Kountché led a military coup that ended Diori's rule. He was imprisoned for six years. After his release in 1980, he remained under house arrest until 1987.

After being released from house arrest, he moved to Morocco, where he died on 23 April 1989 at the age of 72.

References

  1. ISBN 0-8108-1229-0
    .
  2. ISBN 0-300-04043-1
    .
  3. ISBN 0-8108-1229-0
    .
  4. ISBN 0-300-04043-1
    .

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hamani Diori.
Preceded by
Post created
Prime Minister of Niger

1958–1960 		Succeeded by
Himself as President
Preceded by
Himself as Prime Minister
President of Niger

1960–1974 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Foreign Minister of Niger

1965–14 April 1967 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
(–)
Foreign Minister of Niger

1960–1963 		Succeeded by
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