Miss Nigeria is an annual pageant showcasing positive attributes of Nigerian women, and awarding university scholarships. The winner is expected to portray exemplary qualities whilst serving as a role model to young women in the country. The pageant is currently owned by Daily Times publisher Fidelis Anosike.
The current titleholder is lawyer Doris Ogah, who represented the South-South region.Nigerian Lawyer Wins 45th Miss Nigeria
History The then-Nigerian Printing and Publishing Company - publishers of national newspaper Daily Times - established the Miss Nigeria franchise which originally started as a photo contest in 1957. Contestants submitted photographs to the publication's Lagos office where finalists were shortlisted; those successful were invited to compete in the live final - which at the time did not include a swimsuit competition - at the Lagos Island Club. UAC employee Grace Oyelude won the maiden edition of Miss Nigeria, and would later use part of her £200 prize money to travel to England where she studied Nursing.
Contrary to popular belief, Julie Coker was not the first Miss Nigeria – the school teacher had actually won Miss Western Nigeria. However, she did compete in the contest the year after Oyelude's reign, but lost to office clerk Helen Anyamaeluna.In My Time, We Knew Nothing About Genotype Former seamstress Nene Etule remains the only non-Nigerian to have won the contest; she was eligible as the Southern Cameroons were under Nigerian constitution in 1959.Cameroon Political Story The following year the contest was briefly renamed 'Miss Independence' to commemorate the country's independence from British rule, and WNTV continuity announcer Rosemary Anieze was crowned in a ceremony which included Coker as one of the judges.
After the new millennium, Miss Nigeria became a shadow of its former self, and the contest was placed on hold in 2004. Prior to this, no winner was crowned after Clara Ojo's victory from 1994 to 1998 due to the organiser's incapability to convene a pageant during this time. To date, Ojo remains the longest-serving Miss Nigeria (Although no contest was held from 2004 to 2010, Ene Lawani had already ceased ceremonial duties long before the franchise was purchased from the Daily Times). No winner was crowned for seven years after Stella Owivri until the pageant was revamped in 1977 when reigning Miss World Cindy Breakspeare crowned Toyin Monney.
In 2010, after a six-year attempt, AOE Events and Entertainment, headed by former MBGN Nike Oshinowo were brought into the Miss Nigeria franchise by Daily Times. For the first time in its history, entry was open to women in the diaspora,Nigeria: Miss Nigeria Pageant Returns and inspired by Miss America, Oshinowo relaunched Miss Nigeria as a scholarship programme which offered free tuition to first, second, and third-place winners, with the Miss Nigeria titleholder receiving a scholarship to study at any university worldwide. The new Miss Nigeria now included a reality show The Making of a Queen which saw contestants compete in various tasks synonymous with Nigerian women including cooking on outdoor firewood stoves, hostessing, and haggling with market traders, with a number of contestants facing eviction each week.Miss Nigeria casting holds in Abuja today Evening gowns were made from traditional African fabrics and, most notably, the swimsuit competition was discontinued.Miss Nigeria Pageant... Showcasing Beauty, Brains and Culture The pageant ran for two years before the organisation of the pageant was taken over by Beth Model Management CEO and former Miss Nigeria UK, Elizabeth Elohor Isiorho in 2012.Nigerian beauty pageants still evolving -Elohor Aisien Elizabeth stopped organising the pageant in 2014.
In 2016 Miss Nigeria established the Green Girl Project, a community development initiative aimed at empowering young women to become facilitators of sustainable practices towards ensuring a clean and peaceful environment. It also aims to give young women a platform to become agents of change for the environment.
International level In 1963, Miss Nigeria 1962 Yemi Idowu became the first winner to represent the country at Miss United Nations where she reached the semi-final. The following year, salesgirl Edna Park became the only Miss Nigeria at Miss Universe, but is best remembered for disrupting the evening when she collapsed on stage after failing to reach the top fifteen. She was carried away by policemen and contest officials,Miss Nigeria Not Selected and spent the night in a Miami hospital under sedation where she was consoled by Nneka Onyegbula, wife of the Nigerian ambassador, who reportedly stated "All the judges are white, and they aren't really competent to judge dark girls' beauty". Since Park, no other Miss Nigeria has competed at Miss Universe,Miss Universe:Beauty although the country returned to the international stage when Art student Rosaline Balogun became the first official Miss Nigeria at Miss World in 1967. No pageant was held in 1969, yet London-based secretary Morenike Faribido was unofficially handpicked to use the "Miss Nigeria" title and represent the country at Miss World. The Daily Times were not involved in this processReflections of a Departed Beauty Queen
Several Miss Nigeria winners were expected to compete at Miss World but never attended due to lack of sponsors, including Syster Jack (1980), Rita Martins (1982), and Rita Anuku (1986). Schoolteacher Rosemary Okeke (1985) was the last Miss Nigeria at Miss World, while Law student Nwando Okwuosa (2003) was the last to compete internationally at Miss International.
With the gradual demise of Daily Times and rivalry with Sliverbird's Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria, Daily Times lost their license to send delegates to Miss World and Miss Universe.Men Are Scared of Me
Competition Contestants are required to be unmarried, childless, and not pregnant, with a good command of English, and of Nigerian citizenship. They should be between the ages of 18 and 25 years old, of good health, and of good character with no tattoos or piercings apart from ears.
The competition starts with a call to entry where interested participants acquire registration forms before screening exercises commence. Judges select a number of contestants for orientation camp lasting a total of 2–3 weeks where contestants are given tasks to test their skills in different areas. They are also given training in various activities to empower them, develop their entrepreneurship skills, and expose them to different industries enabling them to understand and begin to learn the role of an ambassador. Originally, contestants were given numbers during live shows, but this was changed in 2010 when they each represented Nigerian states. For the 2013 edition, they represented their respective individuality – each contestant had their name printed on their sash, and only twenty-one of the thirty-six semi-finalists competed in the final. In 2015, the contestants once again represented states.
Prizes for the winner vary each year; as of 2013 this includes ₦3,000,000, a luxury car, the Miss Nigeria diamond-encrusted crown, an apartment for the duration of the winner's reign, and a modeling contract with Beth Model Management. The full scholarship now extends to higher institutions in the country only. Throughout the year, the winner is sponsored by several prestigious organisations, and may land endorsement deals.Miss Nigeria Pageant... Showcasing Beauty, Brains and Culture
Criticism In a 2006 interview, former pageant manager Yomi Onanuga criticised Miss Nigeria’s lack of long-term substance, intellectual grooming, and sustainability, arguing that two-week boot camps focused mainly on entertainment as opposed to preparing winners, leading to titleholders being unable to handle critical public speaking or intellectual scrutiny shortly after their victory. English Literature student Ibinabo Fiberesima was unable to name the vice-chancellor of the University of Ibadan which she attended during the Miss Nigeria 1991 interview session.It's Not Easy Being A Single Mother –Bibiana Ohio She has claimed in numerous interviews and on her former website that she had competed in 1997,I Was Destined to Be an Entertainer but this statement is questionable as no contest was held that year; Clara Ojo held the title from 1994 to 1998 when she crowned her successor Regina Nnawunbar. Fiberesima had actually competed in 1991, finishing second behind Bibiana Ohio.["Beauty Pageants, Miss Nigeria Competition, Winners and Runners-up, Contestant Profiles, Event Sponsorship, Cultural Events, Public Reactions, Judging Criteria, Entertainment, Historical Context of Miss Nigeria." (10 August 1998).Newswatch, Pg 41.]
In 1988, dark-skinned trainee caterer Stella Okoye crowned her successor Wunmi Adebowale who was also dark,The Role of Women – Ebony Magazine thus breaking a long line of light-skinned winners, yet Okoye's reign had not been without controversy. Fellow contestant Omasan Buwa told The Punch in 2011 "There was a big uproar and they had to take her out with police escort[s]. The audience felt she was very dark."I was a tomboy–Omasan Buwa
The mediocre prizes, along with the lack of endorsements and connections, were a cause for concern before the new millennium. Alice Ad'epe, who won in 1963, told the Idoma Voice "After my reign, that was end of the story. There was no follow up, nobody cared to know how I was faring. Things were no longer rosy. I was abandoned, so I decided to return home."73-year-old Alice Adepe, Miss Nigeria 1963 tells the shocking story of her life 1993 winner Janet Fateye stated "People thought I was raking in all the money there was, but that wasn't the case. The prize money at the time was a mere N12,000, given to me at N1,000 a month. Yes, I got the car prize that was being serviced by Daily Times, but then I had to buy petrol!"Janet Gabriel, Miss Nigeria 1993 Millennium queen Vien Tetsola reportedly resided in accommodation hardly matching her status as reigning Miss Nigeria.
The Guardian faced criticism in 2011 after its sister publication, Allure, mistakenly described Theatre Arts student and former MBGN runner-up Sandra Otohwo as "Miss Nigeria 2009". Otohwo, who had previously represented Nigeria at Miss Universe, appeared in a series of photographs wearing a bikini, prompting objections from pageant organiser Nike Oshinowo. She argued that the publication had misrepresented the brand, noting that Miss Nigeria had long promoted itself as a swimsuit-free and wholesome competition. She also clarified that the pageant had been dormant between 2004 and 2010, making it impossible for a titleholder to have been crowned in 2009. The Guardian subsequently issued an apology and published Oshinowo's letter in a later edition.Miss Nigeria beauty pageant
For the first time in the pageant's history, a practising Muslim won the title, yet hijabi model Shatu Garko'sShatu Garko is First Hijabi Miss Nigeria victory was met with opposition from Hisbah, a Muslim purist group in Northern Nigeria. Hisbah criticised Garko's participation in the pageant, claiming it was against Islam, and her action potentially served as an inspiration for other ladies to imitate her actions. In an interview with BBC Hausa, Kano state Hisbah board chairman, Muhammad Harun Ibn-Sina, stated pageantry was against the teaching of Islam, and her parents would be invited to a meeting with the Hisbah board to remind them of their responsibilities and Islamic injunctions.
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