BREAKING NEWS: A young woman’s journey to 45th Miss Nigeria contest

WATCH THE VIDEO HOW SHE THREW HIM| YOUNG MOTHER THREW HER 10 MONTH OLD BABY INTO DELTA RIVER| POLICE FUMES AS SHE WAS ARRESTED.ITORO Etukudo is a contestant in the 45th Miss Nigeria pageant scheduled for coronation this Thursday, December 19, in Lagos, the economic hub of Nigeria. ...READ THE FULL STORY FROM SOURCE ...READ THE FULL STORY FROM SOURCE

She is among the 20 young women who will battle it out at the grand finale. The competition commenced with over 40 contestants, 30 made it to the next stage of the contest, and then 10 more were eliminated after a series of events, which included public voting.

For many people, their exposure to pageantry is limited to the televised grand finale, press runs and, in recent times, curated clips shared on social media. As such, they would describe it as glitz and glamour, but that’s just one-half of the story.

For Etukodo, it’s no walk in the park; it took her four years of preparation to get to this stage, she says and this is the case for many beauty queens. They start at smaller niches – schools, associations, and community, and move to the state level, regional, national and then international –  although the process is not cast in stone.

Etukodo’s journey to the Miss Nigeria stage began in 2020 when she participated in the Miss Akwa Ibom Iconic Pageant, which she says was to actualise her childhood dreams of being a beauty queen.

She didn’t stop there, “I began researching and planning for something bigger because I wanted more from this journey,” she tells The ICIR.

WATCH THE VIDEO HOW SHE THREW HIM| YOUNG MOTHER THREW HER 10 MONTH OLD BABY INTO DELTA RIVER| POLICE FUMES AS SHE WAS ARRESTED.Modern-day pageant faces criticism. In some quarters, it is seen as anachronistic in an era of women’s empowerment.  Why do women participate in a process described as objectifying women?

Grace Levy, who won the Miss Universe Great Britain in 2014, says the criticism stems because most people do not see the process.

“That is because they only see the pageant finale, they don’t see the process that women go through to get to that point,” she states on an episode of BBC’s ‘The Why Factor’.

She adds that pageantry is about “embracing your feminity”.  She listed having a platform to reach a greater audience as a reason people participate.

This rings true for Etukudo, who sees being a beauty queen as an act of service.

“I deeply love Nigeria and have a strong desire to serve this country. I believe this platform will allow me to achieve that dream in ways beyond what I can imagine”, she says.

Service comes with its attendant sacrifices. When she decided to enter the Miss Nigeria contest, she was working as a journalist – a demanding profession – which wouldn’t give her time to prepare. From the auditioning to the grand finale spans several weeks, and this includes travelling and also participating in multiple tasks if you make it to boot camp.  So, she resigned her job.

“When I resigned from my previous job, I hadn’t yet received the email from Miss Nigeria, but I felt a clear sense of purpose that pageantry was the next step for me. I knew I had to prepare myself for this opportunity,” she says.

She would later receive the email on December 1.

Miss Nigeria is among the top pageants in the country which started in 1957. It’s not clear what the winner(s) will get aside from the crown and platform, the organisers have largely been silent on this in their press runs and amplification content.

“This is a new era, an era where we intentionally amplify young voices, foster innovation and showcase the unique quality that defines today’s Nigerian woman,” says Rita Dominic, the chairperson of Miss Nigeria’s board of trustees in one of the promo contents.

Dominic, a renowned Nigerian actress and considered to be fashion-forward, took over the reins last year.  This came after her marriage to Fidelis Anosike, chairman of Folio Communications – the organisation behind the pageant.WATCH THE VIDEO HOW SHE THREW HIM| YOUNG MOTHER THREW HER 10 MONTH OLD BABY INTO DELTA RIVER| POLICE FUMES AS SHE WAS ARRESTED.

A few months ago, Chidimma Adetshina won Miss Universe Nigeria – a different pageant. The crown came with N10 million cash prize and representing Nigeria at the Miss Universe 2024 pageant in Mexico, where she placed as first runner-up. Her journey was marred with controversy as she was a contestant for a similar pageant in South Africa before she withdrew.

There have, however, been several cases of organisers of beauty pageants not redeeming their pledges. This is in addition to reports of underhand practices.  In 2016, actress, Yvonne Jegede called out the organisers of Miss Delta Constituency Beauty Pageant where she was a judge, for allegedly influencing the process.

“I was called to be the chief judge at the Miss Delta Constituency Beauty Pageant that took place on the 24th of June in Delta State, and while I sat at the table with my fellow judges assessing the contestants, making sure we picked who deserved to be queen, the organiser came to our table to tell us who should win, who his candidate was,” Jegede stated in a report by The Nation.

If Etukodo or any of the 19 others clinches the crown, they will be taking over from Shatu Garko.

Garko’s victory as the 44th queen was trailed by controversy. Kano State’s morality police (Hisbah) waded into the matter and termed her participation as ‘illegal’.

“We (Hisbah) have confirmed that Shatu Garko is a Muslim from Kano State, and her parents come from Garko Local Government Area. Kano is a sharia state, and this is why we would not allow the matter to pass.

“We will invite the parents to talk to them about the actions of their daughter and the fact that what she did is illegal in Islam in case they don’t know so that she would not continue in that path and also stop other girls from copying her,” Hisbah stated in a BBC report.

Garko has been queen since 2021 when the competition was last held. Her Instagram profile description reads, “World’s first Hijabi to win a national pageant”.  In a post, she tells the contestants that whether they win or not, they have become part of something meaningful by just showing up.

“Going out of your comfort zone is not easy, I know,” she says. Shatu used her time to focus on menstrual health advocacy.

Etukodo hopes to win to serve her community. “I realised that with a title, I could serve my community, my state, and my country meaningfully. Over time, I have also studied many prestigious national and international pageants, fueling my passion for this path”, she says.

The Communication Arts graduate believes the work she has put in, her attempt to join a modelling agency, and her deliberate beliefs to look for public-facing opportunities like working as an OAP and a TV presenter have prepared her for the journey.

As she vies for the crown, a similar pageant – Miss Netherlands – has seen its final dance after close to a century run.  The organisers say it has become “no longer of this time”.

“After years of history full of glamour, talent and inspiration, Miss Netherlands is saying goodbye to the title that many have taken to their hearts. But this is not the end; it is a new beginning. The world is changing, and we are changing with it,” a statement on its website reads.

Miss Nigeria has undergone changes, like the elimination of the swimsuit round, but will it eventually become a “no longer of this time” event?WATCH THE VIDEO HOW SHE THREW HIM| YOUNG MOTHER THREW HER 10 MONTH OLD BABY INTO DELTA RIVER| POLICE FUMES AS SHE WAS ARRESTED.