12 Facts About Hamani Diori

Hamani Diori was the first President of the Republic of Niger.

Hamani Diori was appointed to that office in 1960, when Niger gained independence from France.

Hamani Diori's rule ended with a military coup in 1974.

Hamani Diori 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.

Hamani Diori was again elected to the assembly in 1956, and was chosen deputy-speaker.

In 1958, after a referendum that granted Niger self-government, Hamani Diori became president of the provisional government.

Hamani Diori then became Prime Minister of the republic in 1959.

Niger gained independence from France on 3 August 1960 and Hamani Diori was elected president by the country's national assembly in November 1960.

Hamani Diori's government favored the maintenance of traditional social structures and the retention of close economic ties with France.

Hamani Diori gained worldwide respect for his role as a spokesman for African affairs and as a popular arbitrator in conflicts involving other African nations.

Increasingly criticized at home for his negligence in domestic matters, Hamani Diori put down a coup in December 1963, which occurred concurrently with a border dispute with the Republic of Dahomey.

Widespread civil disorder followed allegations that some government ministers were misappropriating stocks of food aid and accused Hamani Diori of consolidating power.