The world of Senator Florence Ita-Giwa is a testimony to the fact we all know: “the end justifies the means”. Prior to her 1999 swearing-in ceremony as ANPP senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Mama Bakassi was just like any other average female politician. Give it to her: she was tutored in the complexities and scheming of politics. She had an army of followers in Cross River State which eventually saw her winning all elections contested at grassroots level. But she was no Elizabeth Taylor or Donatella Versace. Today within the political and social class, she has become the grand dame even without currently holding any portfolio in this present government; she is everywhere and anywhere, always shining like a million dollars. When most notable female politicians could not sustain their relevance, Florence has remained bullet proof.
It is a known fact that she entered the senate in 1999 as an opposition member (ANPP) but crossed over to PDP. In fact, she was the only ANPP member of the senate from the South-south axis so there was immense pressure on her to convert. It was this conversion that ushered in a new era for the “undisputed Queen of Bling”.
This was when she met Senator Andy Uba who was then the chief domestic officer at the Villa and also the most trusted aide to the then President Obasanjo. Until this publication, her relationship with this powerful and stupendously rich senator who is currently the senate committee chairman on INEC (very sensitive position) has never been written about. But in the circle of aristocrats where she belongs, it is an open secret. In fact so carried away does Mama Bakassi get when she is in her elements that she sings his praises to high heavens. She doesn’t hesitate to tell everyone how the sweet, loving and caring Andy Uba has transformed her fortunes.
Most people have always thought that it was her performance at the senate that made her become the special adviser to Obasanjo, but it was Andy Uba who took her to Obasanjo and asked that an office that was non-existent between 1999 and 2003 be created for her because it would eventually become a very juicy post. Shortly after taking charge as presidential liaison officer to the National Assembly came the Third Term agenda. The budget for this agenda was, to put it mildly, “humongous”. So big was the money assigned to her office to ensure that Obasanjo got his 3rd term that there was direct withdrawal from the CBN. Of course, Nigerians resisted this scheme viciously and it failed but by then few people had become so financially loaded that their lifestyle went astronomical.
Her $2.5 million luxury apartment situated in a huge high-rise within the glamorous high-end Banana Island was also a gift from the loving and caring senator. So powerful was Andy during the Obasanjo administration that his younger brother abducted and slapped a serving governor of Anambra State, Senator Chris Ngige and yet none of the law enforcement agencies raised an eyebrow. Even with the exit of the Obasanjo administration Andy remains very relevant in the scheme of things and his current position entrenches him as a god-father extraordinaire.
Senator Ita-Giwa’s social life has never been better; from an average society lady who used to be irrelevant in the jewelry department, she has now metamorphosed to a connoisseur of flawless diamonds. She might not have visible sky-high buildings that the average eyes can see, but what she has in cut, colour, clarity and carat weight (the four c’s used in evaluating diamonds) surpasses the former. At any given society function, madam is dripping of intricately set gemstones sourced from either Lebanon or Europe. Known to be a jewelry freak, she has since upped her game and has left most society ladies green with envy. She once told a fashion and style magazine that she does not wear Dubai jewelry neither does she buy jewelry from regular discount jewelry shop. But rather she shares the same jeweler with the Queen of England, late Princess of Wales, Diana etc.
To buy into this category on a scale that she does, one has to have millions of foreign exchange. The vital question is how big was her medical supply business before she went fulltime politics? How fabulously wealthy was she before her special adviser post in the Presidency? For a woman that wore beads to the 60th birthday celebration of her closest friend in 2002 to now dictate the trend in the diamond league via princess cut, emerald cut, heart cut, marquise cut, oval cut, round brilliant cut and radiant cut diamond is very notable. The senator who was recently mentioned in the Wikileaks scandal knows she’s hit it for life. Her friends will readily tell you that were it not for the wife in Andy’s life, she would be Mrs. Uba by now. But the senator is married to a lady whose mother is known to be very powerful. So in the home front there is no vacancy and any intrusion will be severely dealt with, so flamboyant Ita-Giwa knew where to draw the line.
“Her loyalists might come to her defense and say she bought a flat on Bakers Street even before mega fortunes came her way, but any knowledgeable fellow knows you don’t need 500,000 pounds cash in your account to own a flat in the West End London. All you need do is: pay a very minute fraction of the mortgage and spread total payment over decades,” said our source.
Unknown to Ita-Giwa, most society women feel she is greedy and self-centered. They argue that while she was in power, they were with her as she raked in goodies upon goodies but she never extended the love. She gave no help to any of them and their hopes of getting juicy contracts through her were completely lost. They said she is very competitive and didn’t want to enrich anyone that would turn out more glamorous and stylish than she is. She has confided in close allies that her next mission is the Cross River State government house, but that dream looks tall considering her age and the fact that Governor Liyel Imoke just got sworn in for a second term.
The world of Senator Florence Ita-Giwa is a testimony to the fact we all know: “the end justifies the means”. Prior to her 1999 swearing-in ceremony as ANPP senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Mama Bakassi was just like any other average female politician. Give it to her: she was tutored in the complexities and scheming of politics. She had an army of followers in Cross River State which eventually saw her winning all elections contested at grassroots level. But she was no Elizabeth Taylor or Donatella Versace. Today within the political and social class, she has become the grand dame even without currently holding any portfolio in this present government; she is everywhere and anywhere, always shining like a million dollars. When most notable female politicians could not sustain their relevance, Florence has remained bullet proof.
It is a known fact that she entered the senate in 1999 as an opposition member (ANPP) but crossed over to PDP. In fact, she was the only ANPP member of the senate from the South-south axis so there was immense pressure on her to convert. It was this conversion that ushered in a new era for the “undisputed Queen of Bling”.
This was when she met Senator Andy Uba who was then the chief domestic officer at the Villa and also the most trusted aide to the then President Obasanjo. Until this publication, her relationship with this powerful and stupendously rich senator who is currently the senate committee chairman on INEC (very sensitive position) has never been written about. But in the circle of aristocrats where she belongs, it is an open secret. In fact so carried away does Mama Bakassi get when she is in her elements that she sings his praises to high heavens. She doesn’t hesitate to tell everyone how the sweet, loving and caring Andy Uba has transformed her fortunes.
Most people have always thought that it was her performance at the senate that made her become the special adviser to Obasanjo, but it was Andy Uba who took her to Obasanjo and asked that an office that was non-existent between 1999 and 2003 be created for her because it would eventually become a very juicy post. Shortly after taking charge as presidential liaison officer to the National Assembly came the Third Term agenda. The budget for this agenda was, to put it mildly, “humongous”. So big was the money assigned to her office to ensure that Obasanjo got his 3rd term that there was direct withdrawal from the CBN. Of course, Nigerians resisted this scheme viciously and it failed but by then few people had become so financially loaded that their lifestyle went astronomical.
Her $2.5 million luxury apartment situated in a huge high-rise within the glamorous high-end Banana Island was also a gift from the loving and caring senator. So powerful was Andy during the Obasanjo administration that his younger brother abducted and slapped a serving governor of Anambra State, Senator Chris Ngige and yet none of the law enforcement agencies raised an eyebrow. Even with the exit of the Obasanjo administration Andy remains very relevant in the scheme of things and his current position entrenches him as a god-father extraordinaire.
Senator Ita-Giwa’s social life has never been better; from an average society lady who used to be irrelevant in the jewelry department, she has now metamorphosed to a connoisseur of flawless diamonds. She might not have visible sky-high buildings that the average eyes can see, but what she has in cut, colour, clarity and carat weight (the four c’s used in evaluating diamonds) surpasses the former. At any given society function, madam is dripping of intricately set gemstones sourced from either Lebanon or Europe. Known to be a jewelry freak, she has since upped her game and has left most society ladies green with envy. She once told a fashion and style magazine that she does not wear Dubai jewelry neither does she buy jewelry from regular discount jewelry shop. But rather she shares the same jeweler with the Queen of England, late Princess of Wales, Diana etc.
To buy into this category on a scale that she does, one has to have millions of foreign exchange. The vital question is how big was her medical supply business before she went fulltime politics? How fabulously wealthy was she before her special adviser post in the Presidency? For a woman that wore beads to the 60th birthday celebration of her closest friend in 2002 to now dictate the trend in the diamond league via princess cut, emerald cut, heart cut, marquise cut, oval cut, round brilliant cut and radiant cut diamond is very notable. The senator who was recently mentioned in the Wikileaks scandal knows she’s hit it for life. Her friends will readily tell you that were it not for the wife in Andy’s life, she would be Mrs. Uba by now. But the senator is married to a lady whose mother is known to be very powerful. So in the home front there is no vacancy and any intrusion will be severely dealt with, so flamboyant Ita-Giwa knew where to draw the line.
“Her loyalists might come to her defense and say she bought a flat on Bakers Street even before mega fortunes came her way, but any knowledgeable fellow knows you don’t need 500,000 pounds cash in your account to own a flat in the West End London. All you need do is: pay a very minute fraction of the mortgage and spread total payment over decades,” said our source.
Unknown to Ita-Giwa, most society women feel she is greedy and self-centered. They argue that while she was in power, they were with her as she raked in goodies upon goodies but she never extended the love. She gave no help to any of them and their hopes of getting juicy contracts through her were completely lost. They said she is very competitive and didn’t want to enrich anyone that would turn out more glamorous and stylish than she is. She has confided in close allies that her next mission is the Cross River State government house, but that dream looks tall considering her age and the fact that Governor Liyel Imoke just got sworn in for a second term.
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