Nigeria’s First Female Senator, Franca Afegbua, Is Dead

Franca Afegbua

Franca Afegbua, Nigeria's first female senator, Franca Afegbua, has passed on at the age of 79.

The Afegbua family in Edo State announced the death of the Second Republic’s only woman senator, Franca Afegbua, on Sunday, March 12.

It read;

“The Afegbua family of Edo State has confirmed the demise of the first woman senator in Nigeria, Senator Franca Afegbua, whose sad event occurred this morning, Sunday, March 12, 2023. She combined beauty and brain during her service to Nigeria. Funeral details will be announced by the family soon.”

The native of native of Okpella, a town in Etsako-east LGA of old Bendel state (now split into Edo and Delta states), was elected as the senator representing Bendel-north in October 1983 under the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in Nigeria’s second republic.

Her political journey was, however, cut short as the military coup of December 1983 toppled the civilian government less than three months after she assumed office.