Florence Ita-Giwa says she is still looking to get married despite turning 70 last month

FORMER Cross River South senator Florence Ita-Giwa popularly known as Mama Bakasi over her campaigns on behalf of the people of the peninsular has revealed that she is still looking for a husband despite being 70 years old.

 

Ms Ita-Giwa, the widow of Dele Giwa, the founding editor of Newswatch magazine was only married for only 10 months, however, before they divorced. Powerful, prominent, prosperous and philanthropic, she is the most prominent Nigerian from the disputed Bakasi Peninsular and has long agitated for it to remain part of Nigeria.

 

Between 1999 and 2003, Ms Ita-Giwa served as the senator representing the Cross Rover South senatorial District and was a close confidant of former president Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. After leaving the senate in 2003, she joined the People's Democratic Party and became President Obasanjo's special adviser on national assembly matters.

 

Currently involved in charitable causes, senator Ita-Giwa said that despite turning 70 last month on February 19, she is still looking for a man to spend the rest of her life with. She added that she is lucky to have aged gracefully and in her Efik tradition, women were taught how to look after themselves, which may be responsible for her youthful looks.

 

Senator Ita-Giwa said: "I remained single because I live by example as I have brought up children that as soon as they graduated from school, they got married and have their own children. However, I am a human being, there is need for me to have a relationship but I decided that at one point I have to be sure.

 

"I don’t want to say that I didn’t see anybody that was worth it but I am still sifting through so that I don’t ever change partners. At this stage of my life, if ever there will be a partner, that partner would be my partner for life."

 

She added that she did a lot of things that she was not sure could have done were she married man as she would need a man who would buy into that vision. According to Senator Ita-Giwa, there is also the issue of men feeling intimidated by successful career women and there is no way she would have made certain sacrifices.

 

"Although I do not intend to ever change my name which has become a brand I am not guaranteeing that I would remain single. I have friends that will travel with me and we have very excellent and decent relationships but I cannot guarantee that I would remain single for the rest of my life," Senator Ita-Giwa added.

According to Senator Ita-Giwa, she does not dress young because she has grown up children but will never negotiate ageing beautifully and gracefully. She added that she has always looked up to women like Jane Fonda, Meryl Streep and Tina Turner who look very good despite their ages.