Charity Nwakaudu
It was all fun as Miss Cross River, Janet Akor, emerged the Queen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the just concluded beauty pageant award organised by Street Minds Empire (SME) in Abuja. Queen Akor, the light skinned Benue State born beauty queen, emerged winner after she defeated other contestants in intellectual assessments and cultural display.
The girls displayed different cultural heritage they represented, despite the fact that it was not their personal state of origin. Executive Director, SME, Moses Aguredam, said the beauty pageant “is a ground for talents discovery, as most of the contestants have already been signed up by bigger organisations to help them actualise their dreams. Gone are days when people fold their arms and wait for unavailable white-collar jobs. Talents discovery and skills acquisition is the only remedy to the Nigerian economy.
“The world can only be a better place if the youths are given the opportunity and are encouraged to go after their dreams instead of being forced into professions that are believed to be promising. Outcome of our recent research confirmed that good number of young people are willing to work but are faced with limited job opportunities. That was one of key reasons why they created a forum where they can discover their talents early in life so they don’t focus on white collar jobs.”
He insisted that no profession or skill is inferior or not financially rewarding if pursued with passion. Queen Akor dedicated her victory to God Almighty describing the victory as dream come true.
She promised to use her position to build self-confidence in young people and make them see the importance of skills acquisition before leaving school: “Nigeria can only be a better place when youths are allowed to discover and actualise their visions instead of being forced into other professions by parents and guardians.
“I am from Benue State but represented Cross River in the beauty pageant. What prompted me into this beauty pageant was the platform to embrace my dream as a queen and it has come to reality.
“I am fulfilled and will want to use this opportunity to encourage the young people out there to follow their dreams. Do not give room to any form of discouragement. Everyone have the will to become whatever they want to be if they strive and work towards it.”
Another contestant, Joyce Adi, from Delta State but represented Rivers State appreciated the organisers for giving her such a rare opportunity. She called on other young girls not to allow their parents or older people force them into anything they are not passionate about because passion is the driving force behind any success.
Parent to one of the contestants, Mercy Ademola, expressed satisfaction over the performances of the girls: “I am really impressed with what I have seen here today, though there are no financial benefits attached to it but with what I have seen, I believe they are going to make it real big in future. I never wanted to allow my daughter to participate initially because of the believe that it promote immoral activities but thank God I changed my mind.”
Former Miss Football Nigeria, Clement Christiana Munachimso, who is the brain behind the event was seen all over the place, making sure that the girls were adequately dressed to fit the different cultures they represented. She said life is all about having a dream and working towards its fulfilment.
She advised the participants to be focused in pursuing their careers in life: “It is not all about physical beauty but it has to do with intelligence and determinations.”