Renowned professor Bene Madunagu to be buried January 17

The funeral planning committee for Bene Madunagu, a renowned professor and revolutionary activist, has released details of her burial programme.

Madunagu, who died on November 26, 2024, will be laid to rest on January 17.

In a statement by Biodun Jeyifo, the professor emeritus of English at Cornell University, the committee said a tribute ceremony will be held in her honour on January 16, before the funeral.

Other activities include a feminist discussion, memorial conference, cultural showcases, and tributes from various individuals, highlighting her impact on Nigeria’s intellectual and social landscapes.

The late professor was born Benedicta Afangide on March 21, 1947, to Michael Afangide and Angelica Afangide from Abak LGA in Akwa Ibom state.

She received education from the University of Lagos and the University of Ibadan and served as an assistant lecturer at the University of Lagos before joining the University of Calabar (UNICAL) in 1976.

The botany professor retired from the University of Calabar after mentoring students and inspiring ideological awareness across various faculties.

The late Madunagu’s legacy is deeply rooted in her activism, which led to her dismissal, along with her husband by former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s military regime in 1978 during the “Ali Must Go” protest.

They were reinstated under the former President Shehu Shagari’s administration.

Bene, as she was fondly called, was an active member of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), becoming the UNICAL’s first female chairperson of the union and a national executive member.

She also joined the Botanical Society of Nigeria, Science Association of Nigeria, and other organisations.

She was a key figure in the feminist movement, helping to establish the Women in Nigeria (WIN) and chairing the board of Girls’ Power Initiative ( GPI).

The late professor received numerous awards, including the Cross River state award in 2005 as “erudite scholar and advocate of equality and girl child rights,” and the centre for reproductive rights award from the University Of California, United States.

Bene, a MacArthur Foundation fellow, was survived by Edwin Madunagu, her spouse, Unoma, Ikenna, and Michael, her children, and numerous comrades.