President Moktar Ould Daddah
In 1973, the then Zairian President, Joseph Sese Seko Mobutu, visited Mauritania for three days. At that time, Mauritania was one of the poorest countries in Africa, with an economy that depended on fishing, farming, and sheepherding.
During the three days of discussions, President Mobutu noticed that his host, Mauritania’s President Moktar Ould Daddah [25 December 1924 – 14 October 2003] —the first president of Mauritania after its independence from French colonial rule—did not change his suit throughout the entire visit. Mobutu realized that his host did not have enough money to purchase elegant and expensive suits.
At the conclusion of his visit, while at the departure lounge of Nouakchott Airport, President Mobutu discreetly handed a check for 5 million US dollars to President Ould Daddah’s secretary so as not to embarrass his host. Along with the check, he included a note with the addresses of famous fashion designers in Paris, where Mobutu himself tailored his suits, hoping that President Ould Daddah would also be able to order formal suits and accessories from those houses.
After Mobutu’s departure, the secretary gave the check to President Ould Daddah, explaining that it was a gift from President Mobutu for him to buy suits and clothing from Paris. President Ould Daddah immediately handed the check over to Mauritania’s Minister of Finance so that it could be deposited into the state treasury.
Later, from this gift money, Mauritania built and equipped the Higher School for Teacher Training, as the country was suffering from an acute shortage in this field due to poverty.
Five years later, in 1978, President Mobutu made a stopover in Morocco while returning from the United States and stayed there for a week. When President Moktar learned of his stop in Rabat – the Moroccan capital, he contacted him and invited him to visit Mauritania, even if only briefly.
On the way from the airport to the presidential palace in Nouakchott, Mobutu noticed banners in French decorating the streets that read: “Thank you Zaire – Thank you Mobutu – Thank you for the gift.”
Before the motorcade reached the palace, President Mobutu stopped at the Teacher Training School, got out of his car, and, astonished, asked his host about the banners. He asked President Moktar:
“What is this gift that the Mauritanian people are thanking me for? I have only just arrived in Nouakchott an hour ago, and I brought no gifts with me nor gave any gift.”
At that moment, President Moktar smiled and said:
“This is your valuable gift. With the five million dollars you gave me five years ago, we built this Teacher Training School, because our people are in dire need of money to fight illiteracy and poverty.”
President Mobutu embraced him and said:
“If only the rest of Africa’s leaders were like you, our continent would not be suffering from illiteracy, ignorance, poverty, and underdevelopment.”
President Moktar replied:
“I receive a monthly salary from the state treasury, so I am not working without pay. That gift of yours belongs to the Mauritanian people. As for my appearance and clothing, it is not right for me to wear the finest global fashions while my people suffer from poverty. With education, we can defeat these plagues and obstacles that hinder our progress.”
It was well known about President Moktar, who died on October 14, 2023 – may God have mercy on his Soul, that he lived a simple life, shunning luxury and extravagance. He lived in a modest home of three-bedroom Bungalow.
Moktar Ould Daddah was a Mauritanian politician who served as the country’s first President after it gained its independence from France. Moktar served as the country’s first Prime Minister from 1957 to 1961 and as its first President of Mauritania, a position he held for 18 years until he was deposed in a military coup d’etat in 1978.
If we add the Four years of Prime Ministership to the Eighteen years of his presidency, that gave us total of Twenty-Two years of his stewardship to his Country. It was this man that served his country so much, that was reported to have lived all his life in a 3-bedroom bungalow, and there was no other property ever traced to him, even by the Military Junta that deposed him.
Before drawing the curtain, I cannot but mentioned our own Nigerian Yakubu Gowon – a man that held reign of authority over Nigeria for Nine years, at a time that Oil boomed for our dear country.
Until this Soldier Gentleman, who came to power at the age of 31 years, and remained in Power for Nine years, was overthrown in a bloodless coup of July 29, 1975, in a Coup-de-tat led by Brigadier-General Murtala Mohammed, General Yakubu [Jack] Gowon did not build a house for himself – not a single one in Nigeria, or anywhere in the world.
A house was to be built for him many years after leaving government by committee of friends. This made him – our own General Yakubu Gowon, akin to the Mauritanian former President under discussion.
This true-life story should be seen as a “gift” to every Thief who shouts slogans of Patriotism while hiding behind religion and tribalism to steal the Substances of the People, and Dreams of the Poor.
Is there anyone, with listening ears, from my dear Country Nigeria, hearing this great sermon, pulled from the Knowledge Dropbox of The Guru?
Godwin Etakibuebu; a Veteran Journalist, wrote from Lagos.
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