Abacha, Mobutu richer than all 44 US Presidents

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Bokassa's golden toilet. How's that for a royal flush?  He staged a lavish coronation that portrayed him as another Napoleon. The ceremony cost $22 million, which his country couldn't afford, so the French paid the bill; although the world's leaders were invited, none came.

Having examined the finances of all 43 presidents (yes, 43; remember, Cleveland was president twice), we calculated the net worth figures for each in 2010 dollars.

also IBB, Houphet-Boigny, Taylor

The total net worth of ALL United States presidents is about $2.7 billion according to a report in The Atlantic compiled by the editors of 24/7 Wall St., a Delaware-based financial news and opinion operation

George Ayittey, Economics Professor, Activist, President, (Free Africa Foundation), in Washington, DC reasoned that this would be why Africa has remained poor.

"In Africa, General Sani Abacha of Nigeria stole $20 billion, Felix Houphouet-Boigny of Cote d’Ivoire stole $6 billion, General Ibrahim Babangida of Nigeria stole $5 billion, Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire (now Congo DR) stole $4 billion. Each stole more than the total net worth of ALL US presidents COMBINED." Excerpts:

Because a number of presidents, particularly in the early nineteenth century, made and lost huge fortunes in a matter of a few years, the number for each man is based on his net worth at its peak.