Siaka Stevens
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Siaka Stevens JD |
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|---|---|
 |
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| 1st President of Sierra Leone | |
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In office 21 April 1971 – 28 November 1985 |
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| Preceded by | Position created |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Saidu Momoh |
| 3rd Prime Minister of Sierra Leone | |
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In office 26 April 1968 – 21 April 1971 |
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| Preceded by | Sir Albert Margai |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Leader of the All People's Congress (APC) | |
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In office 1962 – 28 November 1985 |
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| Succeeded by | Joseph Saidu Momoh |
| Chairman of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) | |
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In office 1 July 1980 – 24 June 1981 |
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| Preceded by | Léopold Sédar Senghor |
| Succeeded by | Daniel arap Moi |
| Mayor of Freetown | |
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In office May 1962 – 17 May 1966 |
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| Succeeded by | Constance Cummings-John |
| Member of Parliament of Sierra Leone from Port Loko District | |
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In office May 1957 – 1958 |
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| Member of Parliament of Sierra Leone from Western Area Urban District | |
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In office 1958–1962 |
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| Sierra Leone Protectorate Minister of Mines, Lands and Labour | |
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In office 1951–1957 |
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| Member of the Sierra Leone Police Force | |
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In office 1923–1930 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Siaka Steven 24 August 1905 Moyamba, Sierra Leone |
| Died | 29 May 1988 (aged 82) Freetown, Sierra Leone |
| Nationality | Sierra Leonean |
| Political party | All People's Congress (APC) |
| Spouse(s) | Rebecca Steven |
| Alma mater | Fourah Bay College, Ruskin College |
| Profession | Trade unionist, police officer |
| Religion | Christianity |
Siaka Stevens (24 August 1905 – 29 May 1988) was the third prime minister of Sierra Leone from 1967 to 1971 and the first president of Sierra Leone from 1971 to 1985. Stevens' leadership is often characterized by patrimonial rule, consolidating power by means of corruption and exploitation.
Stevens and his All People's Congress (APC) party won the closely contested 1967 Sierra Leone general elections over the incumbent Prime Minister Sir Albert Margai of the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP). In April 1971, Stevens made Sierra Leone a republic and he became the first President of Sierra Leone a day after the constitution had been ratified by the Parliament of Sierra Leone.
Stevens served as Chairman of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) from 1 July 1980 to 24 June 1981, and engineered the creation of the Mano River Union, a three-country economic federation of Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.
Stevens retired from office at the end of his term on 28 November 1985. After pressuring all other potential successors to step aside, he chose Major-General Joseph Saidu Momoh, the commander of the Sierra Leone Armed Forces, as his successor.
Siaka Probyn Stevens was born on 24 August 1905 in Moyamba, Moyamba District in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone to a Limba father and a Mende mother. Although born in Moyamba, Stevens was largely raised in Freetown. Stevens completed his primary education in Freetown and completed secondary school at Albert Academy in Freetown, before joining the Sierra Leone Police Force. From 1923 to 1930, Stevens rose to the rank of First Class Sergeant and Musketry Instructor.
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