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By Ikhili Ebalu, Benin City
Former two-term Edo State deputy governor, Dr Mike Oghiadomhe was among the first set of prominent Edo North citizens to mourn the passing away of Senator. Franca Afegbua.
Sen. Afegbua died in the early hours of Sunday at the age of 79. In her heydays as a politician, she was a paragon of beauty and brain and was able to climb these two rare traits to raise to the top of her political game.
Senator Franca Afegbua , a Bulgarian trained beautician, came into the national reckoning in 1977 when she won an international hairstyling competition . She fought doggedly for the promotion of of excellence and and liberation of the Nigerian woman through her fashion skills. She indeed took pride in promoting the lot of the culture of the blacks especially the women folk .
Leveraging on her self built popularity, she contested a hard fought election in 1983 , and won the senate seat of BENDEL NORTH Senatorial District (comprising of present day Edo North and Central Senatorial districts), emerging as the first female to be elected to the Nigerian senate. This feat instantly shot her to prominence and she became a national delight and folklore to the other women who looked up to her for inspiration .
He also attested to the fact that she was a rugged politician who despite her femininity fought and won several political battles like a trojan .
In the press statement which was personally signed by him , Oghiadomhe extolled the virtues of the late Sen. Afegbua, saying also that her death has robbed the country of her invaluable contributions and insights to the ongoing national discourse on deepening our nascent democracy as well as attainment of nationhood .
Dr (Chief) Oghiadomhe, who was also a former Chief of Staff (CoS) to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, recalled the heroic roles in berthing democracy during the short-lived Second Republic, along with the other political icons of that era.
He urged the Federal and the Edo State governments to find ways to immortalize her memory.
He further noted that the name of the late Sen. Afegbua would not be forgotten in a hurry in Edo North politics, in particular.
