Senator Florence Ita-Giwa Clocks 76

The former lawmaker representing Cross River South Senatorial District of Cross River State, Senator Florence Ita Giwa, has clocked 76 years.

Born on 19th February, 1946, Ita-Giwa, is the owner of Echoes of Calabar, a restaurant, which is located in the heart of Victoria Island.

She attended the Kilburn Polytechnic in London, United Kingdom. She became a nurse, then a representative for the Beecham pharmaceutical company, and then 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. Thereafter, 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.

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. In May 2010, there were rumors that funds were missing from the account of the Bakassi Resettlement Committee, chaired by Ita-Giwa, who asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to investigate the matter.

Ita Giwa has worked against human trafficking and sex slavery.

She has received the OON (Officer of the Order of the Niger) and The Sun Lifetime Achievement Award.