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Gnassingbe Eyadema

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World Leader

The Resume

    (December 26, 1935-February 5, 2005)
    Born in Pya, Togo
    Born Étienne Eyadéma
    Served in French Colonial Army (1953-1961)
    Served in Indochina, Dahomey, Niger, and Algeria
    Commander of Togolese Army (1963)
    Togolese Army Chief of Staff (1965)
    President of Togo (April 14, 1967-February 5, 2005)
    Sole survivor of a plane crash near Sarakawa (1974)
    Chairman of Organization of African Unity (2000-2001)

Why he might be annoying:

    After he survived a plane crash in which he was the sole survivor, he established a personality cult based on himself.
    He had a thousand women who danced and sang praises to him.
    His personality cult included $20 watches with his portraits that showed up and disappeared every fifteen seconds, and even a comic book that featured him as a superhero with superhuman strength and invulnerability.
    His northern Togolese heritage alienated southern Togolese from him.
    He harassed his people even more severely as his rule went on, especially after the plane crash.
    His tyrannical rule caused the European Union to suspend aid amid the massacre of pro-democracy demonstrators (1993).
    He witnessed the freefall of Togo’s economy as a result of those sanctions.
    He manipulated the Togolese constitution in order to stay in power.
    Despite demands of investigation from the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity amid elections, he continued to violate human rights in Togo (1998).
    He took part in two successful coups, and the second one brought him to power (1963, 1967).
    He used the bullet from the second attempt on his life by a bodyguard as an amulet.
    He won undisputed and rigged elections (1972, 1979, 1986, 1993, 2003).
    He fed his opponents to crocodiles.
    His political party, Rally of the Togolese People, was Togo’s only legal political party until 1993.
    His regime was one of Africa’s most repressive ever since decolonization took place.
    He may have had more than one hundred children with innumerable women.
    He was hot-tempered.

Why he might not be annoying:

    At the time of his death, he was the longest-serving head of state in Africa.
    The plane crash may have been an attempt on his life.
    He came from a peasant family.
    He tried to negotiate for peace in neighboring West African countries, albeit with little success because he was motivated more by his attempt to revitalize his reputation.
    His long rule brought some degree of stability to Togo.
    His nationalization of the phosphate industry brought money to the government for development purposes (1974).
    He was a hardworking leader who worked for long hours.
    France awarded the title ‘Chevalier du Legion d'Honneur’.
    He died of a heart attack while trying to get treatment abroad.

Credit: Big Lenny


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 93 Votes: 58.06% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 6 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 11 Votes: 54.55% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 32 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 25 Votes: 48.00% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 24 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 12 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 38 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 43 Votes: 51.16% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 22 Votes: 72.73% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 11 Votes: 90.91% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 55 Votes: 70.91% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 63 Votes: 74.60% Annoying