Franca Afegbua, the first female Senator in Nigeria, has died at 79.

Late Senator Afegbua died  on Sunday morning at a private hospital  in Benin City, the State capital.

Her family announced the development in a statement on Sunday.

The statement 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.”

Born 20th October 1943,  Franca, a native of Okpella, a town in Etsako-east LGA of Edo State, was elected senator on the platform of the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN) where she represented the then Bendel North Senatorial District, in Nigeria’s second republic.

She served in the upper chamber of the National Assembly from October to December 1983, before the Buhari military coup brought the second republic to an end on December 31, 1983.