Florence Ita-Giwa Cries Out: ‘Ayade After My Life Over Bakassi Relief Materials’

FUNSHO AROGUNDADE

A former senator and former presidential adviser on National Assembly Matters to Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, has cried out over a threat to her life for exposing diversion of relief materials meant for the displaced people of Bakassi at Day Spring Camp in Cross River State.

Speaking at a media briefing in Lagos Monday, Senator Ita-Giwa accused Cross River state governor. Prof. Ben Ayade of sending menacing text messages to her, warning her of the consequences of involving the Nigerian media and security agencies in the uncovering of the diversion of the relief materials allegedly by some officials of the state government.

According to her, the least she expected from the governor, who was far away in China when the incident reportedly occurred, was a probe into the matter. Rather, a sustained and coordinated campaign of calumny against her and to demonise her person has been instigated by the state government.

“I would like the public to know that Gov. Ben Ayade, a man whose election I supported has been sending menacing text messages to me warning me of the consequences of involving the Nigerian Media and Nigeria Police in the uncovering of the diversion of the relief materials I sourced from the National Refugee Commission for victims of a fire outbreak in Dayspring Island, Bakassi by unscrupulous state officials,” Ita Giwa alleged.

The foremost politician, fondly called Mama Bakassi, had a couple of weeks ago raised the alarm that the relief materials, sent by the National Commission for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons and received by the state emergency management agency (SEMA), were allegedly shared by some Cross state government officials and the rest sold off instead of delivering them to the displaced persons.

She added that some of those relief materials were allegedly found in the residence of a top politician in Calabar, the state capital.

A month after, she claimed nothing concrete had happened, insisting that the materials must be returned to those they were meant for.

She, however, disclosed that the Cross State House of Assembly had summoned her over the issue and she promised to honour the invitation as a law-abiding citizen.

“As we speak, Cross River State is very unsafe, with assassinations and kidnapping becoming the order of the day. Under this cloud of general insecurity nothing must happen to me. Gov. Ayade and his gang of merry men should be told that, they will be held responsible should I come to any misfortune. This self serving campaign of calumny against me instigated by the state government is capable of inciting ethnic tensions, which may in turn lead to the shedding of blood, a prospect I dread greatly.

“I hereby ask everyone and anyone who has influence with Gov. Ayade to warn him to desist from escalating the issue any further. I have asked my teeming supporters to remain calm, as I have decided to adopt the civil approach of a law suit to defend my integrity which they have tried so hard to rubbish.

“Cross River deserves better than what is being offered by the administration of Ben Ayade. He should rise above his Napoleonic tendencies and lead the state into her God given prosperous destiny.

Ita-Giwa has vowed to explore all avenues possible to retrieve the alleged diverted federal relief materials for those Bakassi internally displaced persons (IDPs).

To this end, Ita-Giwa said she would petition the National Assembly on the issue, just as she vowed to take the case to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament and United Nations for alleged human rights violations if the request does not get a positive response.