Hubert Maga

Coutoucou Hubert Maga
President Hubert Maga, 1961
Chairman of the Presidential Council
In office May 7, 1970 – May 7, 1972
Vice President	Justin Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin
Preceded by	Paul-Émile de Souza (Chairman of the Military Directorate)
Succeeded by	Justin Ahomadegbé-Tomêtin
President of Dahomey
In office August 1, 1960 – October 22, 1963
Vice President	Sourou-Migan Apithy
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Christophe Soglo
Premier of Dahomey
In office May 22, 1959 – August 1, 1960
Preceded by	Sourou-Migan Apithy
Succeeded by	Office abolished
Deputy to the French National Assembly
In office June 17, 1951 – May 22, 1959
Personal details
Born	August 10, 1916 Parakou, Dahomey
Died	May 8, 2000 (aged 83) Cotonou, Benin
Political party	UPD GEN MDD RDD
Spouse	Marie Do Régo
Signature

Coutoucou Hubert Maga (August 10, 1916^[1] – May 8, 2000)^[2] was a politician from Dahomey (now known as Benin).^{[note 1]} He arose on a political scene where one's power was dictated by what region in Dahomey one lived in. Born a peasant in 1916, Maga served as a schoolmaster from 1936 to 1945, during which time he gradually gained considerable influence among the uneducated. He was elected to Dahomey's territorial assembly in 1947 and founded the Northern Ethnical Group, later renamed the Dahomey Democratic Rally (Rassemblement Démocratique du Dahomé). In 1951, Maga was elected to the French National Assembly, where he served in various positions, including premier from 1959 to 1960. When Dahomey gained its independence from France on August 1, 1960, Maga was appointed to the presidency, and was officially elected to that post on December 11.

During Maga's term of office, Dahomey's economy collapsed; there was little foreign investment and unemployment rose. In response, he launched a four-year plan in January 1962, the basis of which was to increase agricultural production by forcing the nation's youths to work on the land. Maga also faced a national crisis of unity, culminating in a failed assassination plot against him in May 1961 led by the main opposition leader, Justin Ahomadegbé-Tomêtin. Ahomadegbé-Tomêtin was jailed, and by the time of his release in November 1962, a one-party state had been established and the opposition press had been restricted. In 1963, convicted murderer Christophe Bokhiri was released from prison, prompting riots around the country, but the focus of the rioting soon shifted toward Maga's problems as president. The riots became so serious that the Chief of Staff of the Dahomeyan Army, Christophe Soglo, took control of the country in October to prevent a civil war. After forcing Maga to resign, Soglo gave him, Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin, and vice president Sourou Migan Apithy, the titles of Minister of State.

Shortly afterwards, Maga was convicted of plotting to assassinate Soglo and of corruption, for which he was incarcerated. Following his release in 1965, he took refuge in Togo before moving to Paris. In 1970, he returned to Dahomey to serve as head of a rotating three-man presidential council, which included Ahomadegbé-Tomêtin and Apithy. On October 26, 1972, Mathieu Kérékou was installed by a coup, overthrowing then-chairman Ahomadegbé-Tomêtin. Maga and the other members of the council were imprisoned until 1981. 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. He died on May 8, 2000.

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