Practically everyone knows her, she has been a newsmaker for as far as one can remember. Senator Florence Ita-Giwa is a female colossus whose name has been written in the sands of time. Florence Ita Giwa (born 19 February 1946) is a Nigerian politician, who was the Senator for the Cross River South Senatorial District of Cross River State.
She attended the Kilburn Polytechnic in London, United Kingdom. She became a nurse, and then a representative for the Beecham pharmaceutical company. She later moved to Standall Pharmaceutical, where she represented Lagos State. She married Dele Giwa, the founding editor of Newswatch magazine. They were married for only ten months, after which Dele Giwa married Olufunmi Olaniyan, who was married to him until his death in 1986.
Ita-Giwa joined politics and emerged as NRC chairman for Delta State. She was elected a member of the Federal House of Representatives (1992–93), and was a member of the committee on devolution of power constituent assembly 1994–95. She became involved in Bakassi affairs, and earned the nickname “Mama Bakassi”. Ita-Giwa was elected Senator for the Cross River South constituency in April 1999, and was appointed to committees on Rules and Procedures, Environment, Foreign Affairs, Women, Niger Delta and Drug & Narcotics.
She fought vigorously to ensure the displaced people of Bakasi, who experienced the ceding of their land to Cameroon, got justice. And she took up the responsibility of catering for the Baskasi children through her foundation.
After leaving the senate in 2003, she joined the People’s Democratic Party PDP, and became President Olusegun Obasanjo’s Special Adviser on National Assembly Matters. Ita Giwa has worked against human trafficking and sex slavery on many occasions and has achieved immense impact.
She received the OON (Officer of the Order of the Niger), and The Sun Lifetime Achievement Award. Till date, she is still fashionable and her love for expensive jewelries, is still admirable till date.
The phenomenal Ita-Giwa is still a very attractive woman even at 75 years of age. Till date, she adopted many children from the creeks of Bakassi out of compassion, and many of them have turned out to be productive members of society. She believes that every child deserves to be loved
