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In the midst of Nigeria’s cash scarcity and post-election chaos, one of the nation’s female legends was pronounced dead on the morning of March 12. She was Franca Afegbua, Nigeria’s first elected female senator.
Franca Afegbua, Nigeria’s first female senator [Vanguard Newspapers]
But who was she really and how did she make her mark in Nigeria’s history? Let’s dive into some fun facts about her:
She has roots tracing back to the ancient Benin Kingdom
Afegbua was born on October 20, 1943. She was a native of Okpella, a town in Etsako East Local Government (once known as Bendel). The Etsako people are one of the few tribes in modern Edo land who originate from the Benin Kingdom and maintain some of its traditions. Some of them include dialect, and teeth filing amongst others.
The Etsako people
She was a badass hairdresser
Franca was known to be a luxury, Bulgaria-trained hairdresser in Lagos in the 70s. She was so good at her job, that she won an international hairstyling competition in 1977.
Joseph Sarwuan Tarka, a former minister for Transport and then Communications under General Yakubu Gowon was Franca’s friend and plug into the political party, the National Party of Nigeria.
Joseph Tarka
Women helped her win the Bendel Senatorial seat in 1983
When Franca decided to run for the Bendel Senatorial seat in October 1983, few people thought she could win it. This was due to the high level of respect that both the then Bendel governor and senator had at that time.
Dey play
What they didn’t realise was the fact that she had garnered the trust of enough women to support her. This led to her winning the seat by a slim margin against her opponent, John Umolu.
Her tenure only lasted three months
Afuegbu was only able to serve as Bendel senator from October to December 1983. This was due to Muhammadu Buhari’s 1983 military coup, which caused an end to Nigeria’s 2nd Republic.
Buhari as military head of state [Premium Times]
Franca Afegbua would be forever regarded as one of the first women who inspired women’s participation in politics.
It is 2022 and Nigerian women are still struggling to get a stable place in politics. And no, politicians (mostly male) using female traders and rural women to advance their careers is not the same as women having a real say in the matter.
There have been conferences, jabs, talks, and more talks thrown in the way of Nigerian women calling on them to rub shoulders with the men in the political space. But everyone seems to forget that it takes more than talking and that real work has to be done.
On November 9, 2022, The deputy chief whip of the House of Representatives (aka Honourable Member of the Feminist Battalion), Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, reminded us about the rejected affirmative action bill.
The bill simply asked that the Nigerian government makes it compulsory for 35 percent of women to be involved in all governance processes. Easy stuff but it got thrown away.
It is a breath of fresh air that people like Onyejeocha, who said that women’s participation should always be a priority, are in government. However, this was not enough to save the bill.
Let’s look at what the bill means for Nigerian women.
How does the bill help Nigerian women?
The bill, which was championed by Onyejeocha, was meant to increase women’s participation in politics and general government processes, offering them higher chances of getting into government.
Women should care about the implementation of affirmative action for two simple reasons:
The political numbers for women are sad to look at
In the two houses, fall way below the global 26.1 percent cut-off mark for global recognition of women in parliament. These numbers don’t lie.
NASS has a history of rejecting bills for women
The 35 percent affirmative action bill isn’t the only one that has been rejected.
When senator, Biodun Olujimi, presented the Gender and Equal Opportunities bill in December 2021, male lawmakers began to pick holes in the bill. It was eventually stepped down.
That was the third time Ms. Olujimi brought the bill to the Senate for consideration.
She first introduced the bill in March 2016. The bill clearly sought to give women the following:
Equal opportunities in employment.
Equal rights to inheritance for both genders.
Equal rights for women in marriage and divorce
Equal access to education, property/land ownership, and inheritance.
The bill was rejected by male lawmakers. They argued that the Nigerian Constitution was clear on the rights of citizens, including women. Olujimi reworked the bill and represented it to the Senate. This time, it scaled second reading and was referred to the Senate committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters. However, no public hearing was held.
In November 2019, the bill was reintroduced and during the second reading last December, two senators – Aliyu Wamakko and Yusuf Yusuf – argued that the word “equality” was against the socio-cultural practice of Islam.
Women around the world are killing it politically
Kenya and Rwanda are good examples of African countries where gender equality is practiced, especially in politics and governance.
Rwanda Chamber of Deputies became the first elected national parliament where women were the majority in 2008. The percentage of women in parliament stood at 61.25% in 2021. This is way above the current global average of 26.4%.
Rwanda has been at the top of the International Organization of Parliaments (IPU)’s monthly ranking of
women in the national parliament for years.
Dear Nigeria, remove shame and beat Rwanda. If there was ever a time to care about female participation in politics, there is no better time than now.
Being a woman means different things to different people. I had a friendly chat with Dr Ebi Awosika, a senior technical assistant to the president in the office of the vice president on community engagement. It started out with me trying to understand what the hardest part about being a woman is to her and ended with her telling me about the sacrifices she had to make because of her love for community service.
Tell me something interesting about yourself
I am a physician.
Wait, you are a physician as in a doctor-doctor?
Haha. Yes. Quick background on me. I am a medical doctor, what Nigerians would call a consultant actually. Also, I specialise in internal and occupational medicine. I got my first degree at the University of Ibadan in 1991 before moving to South Africa with my husband to practice medicine. We migrated to the united states together where I ended up working as a national program director with the United States Department of Veteran Affairs for 13 years before taking an early retirement.
Ma’am, Did I hear you say you retired from making dollars?
Haha. It wasn’t quite like that. It has never been about the money for me. I have always been interested in community service, so when I got the chance, My husband and myself set up our own practice in the united states. Two practices actually, that deals with mental health. Oh, by the way, my husband is also a doctor but a psychiatrist.
Wow. I like how you casually just threw that in like it’s nothing… God when?
Haha. It’s all about the service for me. Everything I have done has led up to me serving the community. I have a masters in public health and also picked up an assistant professorship at the University of Minnesota. So, when the opportunity to work as a senior technical assistant to the president in the office of the vice president on community engagement, I felt this is where I am needed to create massive impact.
Omo, Your resume is very impressive. So, What happened to your practice in the United States?
Thank you. My practice is still there. Before I left, I played more of an administrative role. I saw patients but not as often. I will tell you though that it is incredibly challenging to run a business. Before taking the early retirement, I went part-time first and I had to juggle being in Minnesota where the practice is and Washinton DC where I worked part-time for the US government. When I went full-time private practice, I still took a job with the Canadian government but it was medicial consultancy. It took a lot but by the time I was needed in Nigeria to serve, I had a discussion with my family and with their blessings, here I am.
Dr Awosika being conferred as a fellow of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Health.
You left Canada for Nigeria? Mad oh.
I was invited to serve so yes.
What do you think stands out about you to other people?
I like to do things differently. As a strong believer in God, I like to imbibe the spirit of excellence. Whatever I find myself doing, I give it my all. It must be outstanding. This has helped separate me from others because there is always a special difference in whatever I do.
Tell me a little more about your faith.
I gave my life to Christ in 1991, when I was 22. Ever since then, I have been an active Christian. I am currently a minister in a church called Strong Tower Parish in Minnesota. There, I provide premarital counsel for people who are getting married. I also manage the media department in church, seeing as it forms a significant part of my life and that of my family.
You have done a lot in your lifetime. What would you consider the hardest part of your work?
Which of them?
Ohhh wow. Flex. The most recent one here in Nigeria.
I work with out-of-school children and it’s amazing how many children are out of school, especially the girl-child. Trying to empower women and youths and seeing how many more of them still need to be empowered. The challenge here is that even with all the work done, there is still more that needs to be done.
I personally don’t like to think of them as challenges because the person I work for, the vice president, sees these things as opportunities. Also, the issue of mobility, in terms of safety and accessibility.
Working for this administration, how do you personally deal with Nigerians who have lost faith in the government?
These people have a right to expectations and because of the many years of less than good or great leadership, we are not where we need to be as a nation. The expectations from the people were that this administration will bring automatic change but things take time.
I found that when I talk to people about what the administration is trying to do, they are really receptive. In the past, I have gone around the country doing radio interviews where I encourage Nigerians to call in and ask questions. It helps people to have an understanding of what is being done.
What is something you wish you knew earlier that could have made your life considerable better?
When I went to South Africa to practice medicine, I discovered something they do that I wish Nigerian medical school would adopt. When you train in Nigeria as a medical doctor, you can work for someone or assist them but you are not empowered with the skills to set up your own practice.
In South Africa, you are being trained to not just be a doctor but to go into the rural areas and function independently. For me, this was something I had to learn and I truly wish it was a part of our educational system.
What would you consider the hardest part about being a woman?
As a woman that is a professional, a minister, a business owner, a mother and a wife, the most challenging part has been juggling all the demands on my time, my emotions and energies. The desire to be a good mother and wife has to be balanced with the demands of my profession, career, ministry and business.
Sometimes the demands are mutually exclusive, leading to varying priorities. As a woman, it’s tempting to feel guilty when progressing in one’s career path. There is a feeling that doing that is taking time away from my family. Accepting that I am human and therefore prone to mistakes, and far from perfect. Acknowledging that it is ok to say “no” has been a lifeline.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Yes. I want every woman out there to know that whatever they are going through, they are bigger than their challenges and they have so much potential and power. Never get defeated by your struggles, keep fighting and God will see you through.
