68 Facts About Hubert Maga

Coutoucou Hubert Maga was a politician from Dahomey.

Hubert Maga rose to power despite regionalist politics in Dahomey, and was elected to Dahomey's territorial assembly in 1947 and founded the Northern Ethnical Group, later renamed the Dahomey Democratic Rally.

In 1951, Hubert Maga was elected to the French National Assembly, where he served in various positions, including premier from 1959 to 1960.

Hubert Maga faced a national crisis of unity, culminating in a failed assassination plot against him in May 1961 led by the main opposition leader, Justin Ahomadegbe-Tometin.

Shortly afterwards, Hubert Maga was convicted of plotting to assassinate Soglo and of corruption, for which he was incarcerated.

Hubert Maga retired from public life after his release, only making an appearance at the National Conference of 1990, which gave amnesty to all Beninese political refugees.

Hubert Maga was born on August 10 or August 19,1916 to a peasant family in Parakou, northern Dahomey.

Hubert Maga claimed he was a descendant of the Kingdom of Bourgou's royal family.

Hubert Maga's education began at Parakou, where his teacher was Emile Derlin Zinsou's father, followed by schools in Bohicon and Abomey.

Hubert Maga moved to Porto Novo to be educated at the Victor Ballot School, where he remained for three years.

Hubert Maga worked for trade unions after World War II, and led the Syndicat des instituteurs du Dahomey.

Hubert Maga's rise to power occurred during a period of intense regionalism, spurred by the historical resentment shared by members of the former kingdoms of Abomey, Porto Novo, and disorganised tribes from the north.

Hubert Maga was elected a general adviser for the Atakora region in 1945, and, two years later, was appointed to the Grand Council of French West Africa, in which he served until 1952.

Hubert Maga subsequently became vice president of the assembly until his resignation in 1957.

Hubert Maga wrote in a political report later that year:.

Hubert Maga claimed that he and his friends came up with the idea.

Hubert Maga decided to run with Paul Darboux, a wealthy northern merchant.

Apithy was reelected a deputy with 53,463 votes out of 147,350 cast, while Hubert Maga captured the second seat with 49,329 and third candidate Emile Derlin Zinsou received a mere 18,410 ballots.

Only 0.5 percent of Hubert Maga's votes came from the coastal region, while 98 percent came from northern towns and villages.

In Paris, Hubert Maga affiliated himself with the Overseas Independents, a political organization led by Leopold Sedar Senghor of Senegal.

Hubert Maga was named the secretary of the Finance Committee, a member of the committee on national education, and a member of the committee on parliamentary privileges.

Shortly afterwards, Hubert Maga became a member of the committees on national education and on justice and legislation, and was named Secretary of the Assemblee on January 25,1956.

Hubert Maga was chosen as a compromise for the premiership, and was voted into this post on May 22,1959.

Hubert Maga's election coincided with a collapse of the colonial economy.

Hubert Maga thus felt that a consultation with the trade unions was necessary before selecting a Minister of Labor, and eventually appointed Paul Darboux to the office.

Hubert Maga appealed for unity among Apithy and Ahomadegbe-Tometin supporters and encouraged investments into the economy.

Hubert Maga began to form an alliance with Ahomadegbe-Tometin, especially after Apithy voted in favor of joining the short-lived Mali Federation, an idea that Hubert Maga opposed.

Hubert Maga began to ally with Chabi Mama and Arouna Mama, who became his closest colleagues.

Hubert Maga nevertheless tried to disassociate himself from the rioting.

Hubert Maga helped to counter this by investing in the infrastructure and encouraging civil servants to take Dahomey as their residence.

Hubert Maga relied on Apithy's assistance in opposing the motion, and it was ultimately defeated.

Hubert Maga created a constitution for Dahomey, styling it after that of the French Fifth Republic.

Hubert Maga assumed the powers of Commander in Chief of the Dahomeyan Army, although he did not wear its uniform until its capture of the Portuguese enclave of Ajuda on August 1,1961.

Hubert Maga appointed Arouna Mama as the Minister of the Interior; Assogba Oke to the post of Foreign Affairs; Paul Darboux to Trade and Economics; Sebastien Dassi to Agriculture; Victorien Gbaguidi to Transport and Public Works; Joseph Kekeh to Justice; Rene Deroux to Health and Social Affairs; Michel Ahouanmenou to Education; and Alexandre Adande as Finance Minister.

Hubert Maga commissioned a group of people to announce news to the uneducated from the government perspective.

Hubert Maga ultimately released them on November 3,1962, saying in a broadcast that it was not only due to their good behavior in jail but to reconcile with his former enemies.

Hubert Maga designed a four-year growth plan, to begin on January 1,1962, that contained many ambitious acts, though this was frequently revised to be more realistic.

On December 31,1961, the Hubert Maga administration raised certain taxes, including those on income, transportation, and permits in an attempt to balance his country's budget.

Hubert Maga nonetheless ran into trouble in the enforcement of his plan.

Hubert Maga added the Planning and Development duties to Apithy's office to quench his thirst for power.

Nonetheless, Apithy accused Hubert Maga of being a dictator, and a series of demonstrations the Vice President coordinated would ultimately force Hubert Maga out of office.

Hubert Maga was released after his fellow deputies in the National Assembly requested to suspend proceedings against him under the parliamentary immunity clauses of the Dahomey Constitution, specifically Article 37.

Hubert Maga, meanwhile, was away in Paris during all of this.

In light of these events, Hubert Maga canceled his trip to the United States and returned to Dahomey immediately.

When Hubert Maga agreed with their demands and replaced his government with a provisional one in which Apithy and Ahomadegbe-Tometin had equal standing, they organized themselves to protest this new order.

Armed northerners came down to Cotonou to support Hubert Maga and clashed with dissenters, killing two.

Hubert Maga dismissed the cabinet, dissolved the Assembly, suspended the constitution, and banned any type of demonstrations.

Hubert Maga was accompanied by a butler, a cook, and a driver.

At an official inquiry, the conspiracy charge was dropped, but Hubert Maga was found guilty of corruption.

In May 1964, Chabi Mama and a devoted group of Hubert Maga supporters tried to remove him from house arrest and reinstate the overthrown president back into power.

At least one of their goals was accomplished in March 1965 when, following a retrial, Hubert Maga was released from house arrest.

Hubert Maga went into exile in Togo before moving to Paris.

Fellow candidate Zinsou asserted that Hubert Maga supporters had killed one of his supporters during said incidents.

Outraged, Hubert Maga formed the Assembly of the Peoples of the North, which threatened to secede unless he was declared President.

Hubert Maga refused to leave his campaign headquarters at Parakou even to attend political meetings.

Apithy stated that he would convince his region to join Nigeria if Hubert Maga took the presidency and took steps to bribe his way into that office.

Ahomadegbe-Tometin claimed Hubert Maga had defrauded the electoral system to his advantage.

Hubert Maga helped create a tax plan that would finance their salaries by cutting expenditures and cracking down on tax evasion.

Hubert Maga was unable to carry out his decision; Alphonse Alley protected Kutuklui and took him to an unknown place outside of Dahomey.

Hubert Maga initially denied its existence, and to this day details are unclear.

When he first heard of the mutiny, Ahomadegbe-Tometin believed that it was an attempt by Hubert Maga to remain in power.

The plot was foiled, although Hubert Maga canceled a visit to France to attend to the matter at hand.

Ahomadegbe-Tometin tried to fire Chabi Kao, but Hubert Maga, who was Chabi Kao's mentor, refused.

Hubert Maga convinced Apithy to help and the bill was vetoed.

Hubert Maga established the National Party for Democracy and Development in 1989 and participated in the National Conference of 1990, which gave amnesty to all Beninese political refugees.

Hubert Maga was a member of the High Council of the Republic before retiring from political life.

Hubert Maga did make some public appearances, such as at independence day celebrations in 1998.

On May 8,2000, Hubert Maga died of a heart attack in Cotonou.