Benin – Nigeria’s first elected female Senator, Franca Afegbua is dead.
Senator Afegbua died early Sunday morning in her home in Benin City. She was aged 80.
She hailed from Okpella in Etsako East Local Government Area, Edo State, South-South Nigeria.
Senator Afegbua represented Bendel North, the only female elected into the Nigerian Senate in 1983.
She was a staunch member of the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN).
Senator Afegbua had her tertiary education in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Before venturing into politics, she worked as a highly successful hairdresser in Lagos.
She was influenced into politics following her high-rated relationship with Joseph Tarka who introduced her to his party, NPN.
On her mission to becoming the first female senator in the country, she calculated that wooing more women to vote could give her a victory and it worked for her as she was able to defeat John Umolu of the ruling party, Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN).
This victory made her name popular within her Etsako community.