therefore threaten the viability of Sierra Leone as a country. Independence The Crown Colony and Protectorate of Sierra Leone was granted political independence on 27 April 1961. Albert's brother, Sir Milton Margai was appointed first Prime Minister of Sierra Leone. At the time, Albert was serving as a member of parliament for Moyamba. Minister of Finance Margai was appointed Minister of Finance of Sierra Leone in 1962. In 1964, Margai changed Sierra Leone's currency from the British West African pound to the leone, a decimal legal tender roughly equivalent to half a pound sterling at the time. He also founded the Bank of Sierra Leone and made it the national central bank. Premiership and public image Sir Albert Margai was made Prime Minister on 29 April 1964. He was highly criticized during his tenure. He had a penchant for extravagant pageantry and was accused of corruption and of a policy of affirmative action in favor of the Mende tribe. The tantrum-prone Prime Minister was nicknamed "Akpata", a Mende word meaning "our wild, fat man". Margai was also nicknamed "Big Albert" and "African Albert". Sir Albert Margai took power and sought to make the army homogeneously Mende. He also endeavoured to change Sierra Leone from a democracy to a one-party state. 1967 elections Up until the 1967 elections, Sierra Leone had been an exemplary democratic, post-colonial state. However, the campaign strategies of Margai would forever alter this trend. He was against any candidates from the opposition running against candidates from his own party. Margai refused to dignify accusation of corruption with a response. Riots broke out across Sierra Leone and the government had to declare a state of emergency. Coup d'état Margai's opponent Siaka Stevens achieved a small parliamentary majority and he was sworn in as the third Prime Minister of Sierra Leone by Governor-General Sir Henry Lightfoot Boston. Margai's friend and ally Brigadier David Lansana, who was the Commander of Sierra Leone's Armed Forces at the time, arrested both Stevens and Lightfoot Boston. He declared martial law, dismissed the election results and proclaimed himself the interim Governor-General. Counter coup In April 1968, a group of noncommissioned officers staged a counter coup in an attempt to restore the democratic process to Sierra Leone. The so-called Sergeants' Coup was led by Lieutenant Colonel Ambrose Patrick Genda who Margai had fired in 1967. Eight member of the officers formed the National Reformation Council