Former Nigerian President Mamadou “Baba” Tandja, who dominated the nation from 1999 to 2010, when he was overthrown by a coup, died on Tuesday, November 24, in Niamey, 82 years previous. A 3-day interval of mourning will likely be noticed all through the nationwide territory, returning to the trail of a person who remained extremely popular.
“The President and Authorities of the Republic remorse to announce the loss of life of His Excellency Tandja Mamadou, former President of the Republic of Niger, who died at the moment, November 24 in Niamey,” based on a press launch from the Presidency learn on Nigerian public tv. Reason behind loss of life not specified. “A 3-day mourning will likely be noticed all through the nationwide territory,” the textual content concludes.
Former companion of Basic Seyni Kountché with whom he turned with the First Republic (1974), Tandja Mamadou is a profession soldier, a charismatic man with a robust eye.
After arms, Tandja Mamadou embraced political life in 1990. Inside Minister beneath Ali Saibou, he led the Tahoua area with an iron fist and the repression of the Tuareg rebellion in Might 1990 within the Chinbarad, within the north of the nation, recollects our correspondent in Ndjamena,Moussa Kaka.
The 1991 Nigerian Nationwide Convention established a transitional authorities, led by Amadou Cheiffou. Mamadou, who leads the previous get together state, MNSD-Nassara, ran within the 1993 and 1996 presidential elections, however needed to wait till November 1999 to achieve energy.
A person of nation
Along with his openness, Tandja Mamadou is calm within the countryside, a silent majority with whom he has been extremely popular.His efforts within the native language are a lot appreciated. It was with out a lot problem that he was re-elected for a second time period of 5 years, in 2004, making Hama Amadou his prime minister, whom he thought to be his dolphin, and who would rapidly steal the present.
“Tandja was a pragmatist and a person of frequent sense,” concludes an individual near MNSD. “He was additionally a person of integrity who by no means took a single franc CFAde’s treasury,” he says.
He may even stay the person in tazarche (“Continuity”, on Hausa), the one who in 2009 wished to serve a 3rd time period whereas the structure supplied for it to be withdrawn. A disaster then opens and he’s overthrown on February 18, 2010 by a army junta who sends him a number of months in jail.
Historical past may even do not forget that it was throughout his reign that the primary barrels of oil got here out of underground Nigeria.
A patriotic president
82-year-old “Tandja Mamadou has simply left us after preventing bravely towards loss of life”, writes one of many candidates for the election in December 2020. Tandja Mamadou leaves the reminiscence of a president with patriotism connected to his physique.
For Ali Sabo, former vp of MNSD and dependable to the previous head of state, Mamadou Tandja’s loss of life is a superb loss not just for the nation but in addition for the area:
We will blame him for his political profession. However man has made Niger a rustic, a state, a nation. Tandja was for a grassroots growth coverage, to take an curiosity within the farmer, the breeder, the farmer. He constructed wells in all places; he helped the lady by giving her a contribution for her monetary liberation. His concern was the countryside, to assist the farmer transfer on.
Issoufou Tamboura, his political ally, greets a father of the nation who has given his all for his nation: “he’s of the race of nice statesmen, he won’t ever disappear from common thought in Niger.”
We’ve got simply misplaced a statesman and a honest patriot who gave all the pieces he might for this nation and who has at all times behaved with dignity. I keep in mind from her motion that she was tired of all of the companies through which he served Niger. It aimed to complement the entire of Niger. The home and overseas money owed had been gigantic. In lower than 5 years, he raised the nation. Through the second semester, he was the one who introduced within the oil: not solely was Niger a uncooked producer but in addition sells its refined merchandise to all neighboring international locations.
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