Miss Nigeria Pageant
This is an annual pageant which showcases Nigerian culture and the positive attributes of Nigerian women. This is the reason why everything about the pageant is carefully put together to reflect Nigerian culture starting from the venue of the show to the dressing of the contestant. Some winners are awarded scholarships or good money and cars. Normally each state in Nigeria present a contestant to represent the state. The emerging winner portrays the exemplary qualities and services as a role model for young women in the country though Nigeria being a religious country frowns at the show due to the events that leads to the selection of the winner.
The pageant is organised by Daily Times owned by Fidelis Anosike though recently partnered with Audrey Silva firm run by Rita Dominic, Nollywood actress and producer together with Mildred Okwo, well-known film director. They hope to use Miss Nigeria platform to transition into empowerment trust for young women.
How Nigerians view Beauty contest
The participants show up in the pageant dressing in different attires such as swim suit popularly known as bikinis, cultural attires, and sexy evening gowns. However, some Nigerians do not like how they expose their body in bikinis saying that they are half-naked and as young single ladies lodged in hotels that they are not good enough to to be in a decent relationship hence some men avoid marrying beauty queens in the past.
But today, a lot has changed that some men today go for beauty queens though not every man has what it takes to settle down with a beauty queen. I ca remember when an 18-year old hijab model Shatu Garko when representated the North-West region won inn 2021 making her the first muslim winner. Her victory was opposed by hisbah police in Kano State, a purist Muslim group in Northern Nigeria critising her participation and describing her actions as illegal and a bad example to young Muslim girls and her parents were invited for questioning. All these did not stop Garko, she intends to make social impact with her position to focus on eliminating period poverty.
The First Miss Nigeria, 1957
Grace Atinuke is the first Miss Nigeria queen at the age of 26, born on the 16th November, 1931 in Sabon Gari, Kano State of Nigeria by James Oyelude and Martha Dantu of Isanlu from Kogi State. Grace was brought up in Northern Nigeria, had her primary and secondary education in Kano between 1940 and 1952. After which she started working with United African Company, UAC. In 1957, she represented then the Northern region at the Miss Nigeria grande finale while working at UAC. Her brother submitted her photograph to pageant organisers at Daily Times because previously Miss Nigeria pageant used to be a photo contest in 1957. The contestants submitted photographs to the publication's office in Lagos. The finalists were shortlisted and the successful ones invited to compete in the live final at Lagos Island Club. This was the time Nigerian Printing and Publishing Company publishers of national newspaper Daily Times owned by Folio communications established Miss Nigeria franchise. During that period, the contest did not include a swim suit competition.
Grace Oyelude won the maiden edition of Miss Nigeria and used her 200 pounds cash prize to travel to England and enrol in Nursing school in Kent, United Kingdom where she qualified as a nurse in 1961 and subsequently gained a mid-wifery qualification in 1962 from St. Thomas' Hospital London. She also obtained a Diploma in Nursing and Hospital administration from Royal College of Nursing, England in 1971. Oyelude worked with several hospitals including Paddington General Hospital before returning to Nigeria where she worked with Kaduna General Hospital between 1964 and 1965. She has also worked as a Senior nursing sister in charge of former Kaduna Nursing home which is now Barau Dikko Specialist Hospital, Kaduna.
During Nigerian civil war in 1967, she led a team from the Northern region that helped Markurdi General Hospital to treat casualties of war. After the war in the early 70s, she worked as a senior matron and director of nursing services at the Ahmadu Bello University's teaching services hospital. She was also an external examiner of Nursing and Midwifery Council in Nigeria and she also chaired the Kwara State Health Management Board from 1980 to 1983. In 1985, she retired voluntarily.
As a woman who believes in gender equality of man and woman, she holds chieftaincy titles Iyaolu of Isaluland and Iyalode of Okunland and she has many grandchildren.
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