The Fashion Designers Association of Nigeria-FADAN celebrated the 70th birthday of their Patron; Senator Florence Ita-Giwa at an exclusive and exquisite event which held at the Grand Ball Room of the Oriental Hotel, Lagos. In typical fashion, the event featured haute couture by Nigerian designers including Ade Bakare, Maufechi, and Graces Hats among others.
Dignitaries, Government officials and friends of the celebrant in attendance included; Mrs. Sally Mbanefo, Director General of the Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation, Dame Abimbola Fashola, fashionista Abba Folawiyo, Chief Mrs. Opral Benson, Actress Taiwo Ajayi Lycett, Chief Dele Momodu, Chief and Mrs. Anumudu, to name a few.
President of FADAN and chief organizer of the event, Mrs. Funmi Ajila Ladipo described the celebrant as one with an extremely large heart and also a chronic lover of fashion. She acknowledged the celebrants continuous support of the association through the years.
ABOUT: Florence Ita Giwa, born 19 February 1946 in Atabong, Bakassi LGA, Cross River State was elected Senator for the Cross River South constituency of Cross River State, Nigeria at the start of the Nigerian Fourth Republic, running on the All People’s Party (APP) platform. She held office from May 1999 to May 2003. 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. She was a Nurse in her earlier years, 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. She has worked closely with at least three Nigerian Presidents. In 2014, she was one of the honorees at the Trendy Africa Magazine Mothers Appreciation Event-TAMMAE in Dallas. Even though on a National assignment with the then National conference in Abuja, she sent a representative and put through a personal telephone call to the convener apologizing for her inability to receive the award personally. She is popularly called ‘Mama Bakassi’ for her role she plays in re-orientating and educating the children of her constituency till date.
Tosan Aduayi is the founder of Trendy Africa Magazine and has been an active journalist since 1994. Photo Credit: Emmanuel Tahiru
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