Col A col is the lowest point on a mountain ridge between two peaks; a mountain pass or saddle. COL, CoL or col may also refer to: Computers * Caldera OpenLinux, a defunct Linux distribution * , an HTML element specifying a column * A collision sig ...

. Martin Dohou Azonhiho was a

Benin Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It was formerly known as Dahomey. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north-west, and Niger to the north-east. The majority of its po ...

ese

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

, native of

Abomey Agbome or Abomey is the capital of the Zou Department of Benin. The commune of Abomey covers an area of 142 square kilometres and, as of 2012, had a population of 90,195 people. Abomey houses the Royal Palaces of Abomey, a collection of small tr ...

. He was a confrontational, much-feared, and ultra-radical minister of information and ideologue in the leftist government of

Mathieu Kérékou Mathieu Kérékou (; 2 September 1933 – 14 October 2015) was a Beninese politician who served as president of the People's Republic of Benin from 1972 to 1991 and the Benin, Republic of Benin from 1996 to 2006. After seizing power in a milita ...

from 1974 to 1982. He is said to have played a part in the 1975 assassination of his primary rival within the government, Maj. Michel Aikpé. After his demotion, he served in a series of provincial posts and junior ministerial assignments. After political liberalization in the late 1980s and early 1990s, he briefly rejoined the cabinet and registered his own political party, the

Union for Homeland and Labour Union for Homeland and Labour (, UPT) is a left-wing political party in Benin. Its president is Col. Martin Dohou Azonhiho, who was a leading ideologist of Mathieu Kérékou's socialist government in the 1980s. UPT supported former president K� ...

(UPT), in September 1997. Following the resignation of Pierre Osho, Azonhiho was appointed Minister of State for Defense on January 27, 2006."Kérékou réaménage le gouvernement béninois"
Panapress ('' Jeuneafrique.com''), January 28, 2006 . After newly elected president

Yayi Boni Thomas Boni Yayi (born 1 July 1951) is a Beninese banker and politician who was the president of Benin from 2006 to 2016. He took office after winning the 2006 Beninese presidential election, March 2006 presidential election and was re-elected to ...

took office on April 6, Azonhiho was replaced by Issifou Koguidro.

Quote

* "If by the end of the month,

Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses is a Christian denomination that is an outgrowth of the Bible Student movement founded by Charles Taze Russell in the nineteenth century. The denomination is nontrinitarian, millenarian, and restorationist. Russell co-fou ...

do not shout the revolutionary slogans, do not sing the national anthem, do not respect the flag, I am going to expel all the expatriate representatives of Jehovah's Witnesses, these licensed agents of the

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...

." (16 April 1976

References

* Samuel Decalo, Decalo, Samuel. ''Historical Dictionary of Benin'', 3rd ed. Lanham:

Scarecrow Press Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group is an American independent academic publishing company founded in 1949. Under several imprints, the company offers scholarly books for the academic market, as well as trade books. The company also owns ...

, 1995. Year of birth missing Union for Homeland and Labour politicians People's Revolutionary Party of Benin politicians People from Abomey Agriculture ministers of Benin Defence ministers of Benin Fisheries ministers of Benin Information ministers of Benin Interior ministers of Benin 20th-century Beninese politicians 21st-century Beninese politicians {{Benin-politician-stub