On April 29, 1992, Valentine Strasser, a 25 years old soldier, took the reins of Sierra Leone, a small diamond-rich country in West Africa, overseeing the lives of over 4 million people. His rise to power was a mix of fate, chance, and hopeful yet bizarre choices by both patriots and opportunists who felt he could easily be a vessel for their puppetic control. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse for Strasser, and a single poor decision continues to haunt him to this day.

He went from being the commander-in-chief and head of state of Sierra Leone, embodying power and affluence, to a deposed, destitute, wretched, and homeless individual, castigated and despised worldwide, except by his mother, who painstakingly cares for him whenever he returns from begging for dry gin in the neighborhood. The aftermath of his downfall was further complicated by the amputation of his leg in 2019. The question remains, how did he end up here?

The events that unfolded after he seized power were more dramatic than strategic. But what went wrong?

This is the story of Valentine Esegragbo Melvin Strasser, the youngest African head of state ever, who plummeted from power to become a destitute beggar.

His ascension to power inspired the youth and the young at heart, who believed that a youth had finally emerged to champion their cause. Before, the youth was the Cinderella in the political, economic, and social machinery of the government. However, Strasser was neither trained nor groomed to steer the complex machinery and routine of government. Numerous folk were left petrified, some gasping for breath or biting their nails. His youthfulness as naivety multiplied his woes as well as the hatred of his endless foes. Again Strasser was chosen not necesarily because of his leadership or military expertise, but simply because he was one of the few who had completed secondary school, and his English was good enough to read the junta's declaration on the radio. As captain, he held a higher rank than his co-conspirators, and some argued that Strasser was chosen because those around him felt he could be easily manipulated.

Once in power, he vigorously pursued the rebel war against rebel leader Foday Sankoh as one of his top priorities. But he was able to bag little success. He broke the deadlock by hiring the mercenary firm Executive Outcomes to supplement the army: since most of them had defected to beef up the Revolutionary United Forces, the rebel army. Strasser’s government was highly welcomed and popular, with people even snapping up calendars decorated with Strasser as their redeemer. In no time, the redeemer introduced reforms by endorsing a two-year transition to democracy. The soldiers launched a cleanup campaign to rid the streets of garbage, and the economy began to improve, with gas and electricity becoming available again. Ambulances, which had all but disappeared from Freetown, were imported and put back to use. Freetown was painted with inspirational slogans and images of national heroes. Street crime was reduced, and inflation was lowered from 115% annually to less than 15%. The perpetually adversed Sierra Leoneans were pregnant with hope, believing that Strasser was the expected Messiah, who would usher the chlorophyll of change and champion the redemption of the people of Sierra Leone. Down the road their dreams would be prematurely shattered.

Strasser seemed to be in control and proved his critics wrong who had judged him based on his age. However, after a brief period, the euphoria faded. Eight months into his presidency, Strasser made the worst blunder that would haunt him long after he left power. He executed 29 innocent civilians by firing squad on a beach outside Freetown for a foiled attempted coup in December 1992. Some of the men involved in the plotting were even in prison at the time. Realizing his mistake, Strasser apologized and declared a nationwide period of mourning. He also promoted himself and his colleagues in the army ranks, which sowed confusion and resentment within the military. This meant that junior officers were suddenly taking orders from those who had previously been their peers.


In a coup led by his deputy, Brigadier General Julius Maada Bio, along with Colonel Tom Nyuma and Captain Komba Mondeh, Stresser was kicked out. Bio quickly rose as the leader of the coup, with the support of Nyuma and Mondeh and took over as Head of State of Sierra Leone.

Although Bio was only 30 at the time and harbored ambitions of becoming president, he allowed the election campaign to proceed. In March 1996, Ahmed Tejan Kabbah, a 64-year-old politician, was elected president.


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