The first female senator in Nigeria Franca Afegbua is dead at age 79 as announced by her family on Sunday, March 12, 2023.
The family said: “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.”
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She was able to clinch her senatorial seat at a time the Nigerian political space was largely dominated by men
The native of Okpella, a town in Etsako-east LGA of old Bendel state was elected the senator representing Bendel-north in October 1983 under the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in Nigeria’s second republic before the military took over in the same year.
Afegbua said in an interview in 2022 about how impressed she was with women’s participation in politics.
“I think there has been some improvement since my time. There was no woman in the senate before me then but there are women now. Then, I was the only woman but now, there is more than one. I believe the number will increase gradually.”