By Sewe Ishola,

In celebrating the Miss Nigeria pageant at 60, the organisers have revealed they are looking beyond just beauty in selecting the girl that wears the sash of Miss Nigeria.

At a press conference organised in Lagos, the Executive Director of Miss Nigeria, Dr May Ikeora revealed, all efforts are being made to ensure, Miss Nigeria is a pageant that celebrates not only beauty but also brains; “We want people to know that what’s in vogue is brains, not just beauty and that’s what Miss Nigeria is projecting.”

L-R:Special Projects, Edi Lawani, Executive Director, Dr. May Ikeora and 40th Miss Nigeria, Chioma Obiadi at a press conference on Miss Nigeria at 60 in Lagos recently

Dr. May, who was formerly a beauty queen added that the pageant had come a long way and this diamond anniversary is “an opportunity to do better, following what has changed in Nigeria because Nigeria isn’t what it used to be in 1957, when this pageant started. And the only way we can do that is to ensure the structure of Miss Nigeria falls in line with the goals we want to achieve.

We have been working so hard from last year to make sure that the objectives of Miss Nigeria is clear and  we want people to know we are here, we value intelligence, our heritage, our culture and unlike in the past, this is Miss Nigeria coming out, very structured and  doing what it was meant to do in the first place; promoting peace, unity and heritage in Nigeria.”

The current Miss Nigeria, Chioma Obiadi while speaking noted that while it’s a weighty responsibility for a girl her age to represent the 60 years old brand, she isn’t doing it alone; “for a pageant that is 60 years old, it is a lot of weight on my shoulders. It’s a lot of responsibilities. Imagine a 22 years old girl having to represent a brand that is 60 years old? It’s a lot but then, I have been so lucky to have a beautiful team who put me through.”

The beauty queen went on to encourage young girls who want to become Miss Nigeria to do so for the right reasons; “I would want young ladies, who want to become Miss Nigeria to do so for the right reasons. Miss Nigeria is not a place where you just want to look beautiful, do the red carpets and such. I say Miss Nigeria is a 9-5 job.

So, if you are ready to work, promote your country, give up your life to  promote peace, unity and heritage, then that is what makes you qualified to be Miss Nigeria.”

Meanwhile, to make this year’s Miss Nigeria beauty pageant a memorable one, Dr. Ikeora has got notable production expert, Edi Lawani on board, who is the Special Projects consultant for the event this year and he revealed, his team intends to ensure that Miss Nigeria will be one to look forward to and they will also package it for posterity sake.

Artwork credit: Instagram @missnigeriaorg