President Moktar Ould Daddah, Mauritania’s first head of state following independence from France in 1960, received Mobutu with full honors. Known for his intellectualism, humility, and legal background, Daddah studied law at the Sorbonne in Paris, he had dedicated his life to building a new, sovereign nation rooted in integrity and justice.
Throughout Mobutu’s stay, he noticed something unusual: President Daddah wore the same modest suit each day of the visit. It gradually became clear that this was not a stylistic choice but a sign of the President’s humble circumstances. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Daddah did not indulge in extravagance or personal luxury.
At the end of the visit, as Mobutu prepared to leave Nouakchott Airport, he quietly handed a check for 5 million US dollars to President Daddah’s secretary. Alongside the check, he included a handwritten note listing the names and addresses of prestigious fashion houses in Paris, those he himself patronized, hoping Daddah might also enjoy the refined elegance of high-end tailoring.
Upon receiving the check, the secretary presented it to President Daddah, explaining that it was a personal gift from Mobutu. Without hesitation, Daddah handed the check over to Mauritania’s Minister of Finance, instructing that it be deposited into the national treasury for public benefit.
The funds were later used to construct and equip the Higher School for Teacher Training, a critical investment in human capital for a country that was grappling with high rates of illiteracy and a shortage of trained educators.
Five years later, in 1978, Mobutu stopped in Rabat, Morocco, on his return from the United States. Upon hearing of this, Daddah reached out and invited him for a brief visit to Mauritania. Mobutu agreed.
As the presidential convoy traveled from Nouakchott Airport to the palace, Mobutu was taken aback by the banners lining the streets, which read in French: “Thank you Zaire – Thank you Mobutu – Thank you for the gift.”
Surprised, he turned to President Daddah and asked, “What is this gift that the people are thanking me for? I have just arrived and brought no gift with me.”
Daddah smiled and replied, “This is your generous gift from five years ago. With that money, we built the Teacher Training School. Our greatest need is education, so we used your donation to help lift our people out of ignorance and poverty.”
Mobutu, visibly moved, stopped the motorcade and visited the school. As he toured the facility, he embraced Daddah and said, “If only the rest of Africa’s leaders were like you, our continent would not suffer from ignorance, poverty, and underdevelopment.”
President Daddah humbly responded, “I receive a salary from the state to serve my country, I am not working without compensation. That money belonged to the Mauritanian people. As for my clothing, it would be wrong for me to wear the finest European fashions while my people struggle to afford bread. With education, we can defeat the plagues of poverty and stagnation.”
President Moktar Ould Daddah passed away in 2003, but he is remembered not only as Mauritania’s founding president, but as a man of rare principle, committed to justice, modesty, and the wellbeing of his people. He lived in a humble three-room home, rejected ostentation, and remained faithful to the ideals of service until the end of his life.
Today, we see a stark contrast. In many African countries, elected and appointed leaders live lives of opulence and oppression while the majority of citizens endure crushing poverty. Basic healthcare is inaccessible, educational systems are broken, and public infrastructure is in decay. Yet, vast sums are spent on private jets, luxury vehicles, and lavish lifestyles. Leaders who should be stewards of national resources behave as if they are above accountability, as though they will never face mortality. But history reminds us: vanity upon vanity, all is vanity. Mobutu and Daddah are both gone, yet what they did whether in self-interest or selflessness lives after them. The legacy we build is not measured in what we take, but in what we give.
This true story is a lesson and a mirror held up to every plunderer who cloaks themselves in the rhetoric of patriotism and religion, only to rob their people of sustenance, dignity, and the hope of a better future.
