Bene Madunagu is dead

By Isa Isawade

Renowned feminist, human rights activist, scholar, and revolutionary Benedicta A. Madunagu, popularly known as Bene Madunagu, has passed away at the age of 77.

Bene, a leftist like her husband, Edwin Madunagu, breathed her last early Tuesday morning at the Madunagu residence in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria.

Biodun Jeyifo, Chairman of the SOLAR board of trustees and Professor Emeritus of English and Comparativative Literature at Harvard University, made the announcement in a short statement on Tuesday.

“With profound gratitude for her life, her achievements and her contributions to the struggles for equality, justice and dignity for all, I hereby announce the transition early this morning of Comrade Benedicta A. Madunagu, known universally and affectionately simply as “Bene”. She was aged 77 years and passed away peacefully at the Madunagu residence in Calabar,” Jeyifo wrote.

He emphasized that he made the formal announcement “on behalf of the family and the Nigerian Left, I wish to state here that my sense of profound loss in Bene’s passing is matched by an equally profound celebration of her life and achievements.”

He said further details would be announced later.

Bene was born on March 21, 1947, in Afaha-Essang in Abak Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State where her both parents came from.