From Pwanagba Agabus, Jos
Former Miss Plateau Beauty Queen, Erochukwu Nwodo has tasked
Beauty pageants in the country to hold on to their virtues no matter the pressure to trade sex for a crown.
The Beauty Queen who is also former Miss Plateau, has pledged to showcase the rich cultural heritage of Northern Nigeria through pageantry.
Nwodo, the Chief Executive Officer of Rocy Reset Style Plus Entertainment, stated this while speaking with journalists to flag off the Nigerian Rubies Pageant in Jos, the Plateau State Capital.
She said, “Don’t give your body to anybody because the person has promised to make you a beauty Queen, for me, I believe I have an invisible crown which God has given me and if anyone insist I should trade sex for crown, I will workout.
She said, she such offers, but had vehemently refused to condescend to it.
The Beauty queen who was born and raised in Plateau said it was necessary for aspiring models to be conversant with their domain as such knowledge had aided her in representing plateau at various beauty pageants.
On her quest to showcase the rich cultural heritage of northern Nigeria, the Beauty Queen said that the region was blessed with rich culture not adequately explored and showcased to the world.
“I intend to encourage those from the Northern region to participate in this pageantry to show the world who they really are culturally.
“It will show the richness of the cultural heritage of the Northern region and disabuse the minds of fans that the region is made up of one tribe.
“During cultural costume competition, the picture usually painted by the contestants was that everyone from the Northern region was Fulani.
“The reason being that 99 per cent of contestants, representing these Northern regions are not from these regions and most of the time they never visited the area.
“So it’s easier to get the Fulani attire and use it as the culture of that region, leaving out the rich culture of other Northern people,” she said.
Nwodo added that the pageant was aimed at exploring the potential of young girls by redefining beauty and making it all inclusive irrespective of size, height and colour.
“Nigerian Rubies Pageant is designed to build women and empower them to be nation builders,’’ she said.
She said that they would be taught how to be resourceful, home makers and role models.
“The Nigerian Rubies pageant will also encourage parents to allow their daughters go into pageantry without fear of losing them to waywardness.
“It will give every Nigerian girl the opportunity to explore her God-given potential, develop it to world standard and offers it to the world.
“By self-regenerating, I mean raising girls who have their own businesses and innovations so that they will not run after other people all the days of their lives to sign them into modelling contracts or any other contracts for job.
“To be resourceful will enable them achieve anything they ever dreamt of, as financial freedom is one of our focus.
“We intend to achieve this by training the winners in ventures such as fashion design, importation, photography, arts and craft just to mention a few.
“We will give ears to them for those who have virgin ideas and innovations and help them birth it,” Nwodo said.
She further said that after the first edition, they would host a global pageant and would be sending winners to represent Nigeria in various international pageants.
The announced Nigerian Rubies Pageant obtained the franchise of Miss Peace Ambassador Global and the 2020 edition would hold on Oct. 2, 2020, in India, being the proposed host country.
