franca afegbua

Nigeria’s First Elected Female Senator, Franca Afegbua Dies + 7 Facts To Know About Her


A Biography on Franca Afegbua

Nigeria’s first elected female senator, Franca Afegbua has died at age 79.

The Afegbua family announced her passing in a statement issued on Sunday, March 12.


The statement reads: “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 family said.

1. Franca Afegbua was born in Okpella, Edo State on 20th October 1943.

2. She completed her post-secondary education in Sofia, Bulgaria.

3. She worked as a hairdresser in Lagos serving high-income clients prior to the beginning of the second republic.

 4. She became prominent in 1977 when she won an international hairstyling competition.

5. Afegbua had a close relationship with Joseph Sarwuan Tarka, a former minister for Transport under General Yakubu Gowon. Tarka introduced her to his party, NPN.

6. Afegbua represented Bendel North in the Nigerian Senate under the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in 1983 defeating John Umolu by a slim victory.

7. Her political journey was however cut short abruptly before the republic was sacked in a military coup d’etat. She served only three months in the senate (Oct 1983-December 1983)

 





Leave A Comment