The organiser of the Miss Nigeria International Beauty Pageant, Brendan Nsikak, says 14 candidates have qualified for the 2023 edition of the pageant.
Nsikak, the Chief Executive Officer of Brendance and Crusade Ltd., disclosed this on Wednesday in Lagos.
He said that the 14 lucky contestants were selected out of 125 candidates.
“Not less than 125 candidates applied for the Miss Nigeria International contest, and 35 ladies were selected through virtual elimination. The lucky ladies were put up for public voting.
“The voting went on for a period of one month, during which 14 of the lucky ladies will be going into the final stages of the main rigorous activities,” he said.
Nsikak, also the organiser of Mr. Nigeria International, said the contest scheduled before the end of the year was meant to touch lives, promote peace, and encourage African tourism.
“The 2023 second edition of the single Miss Nigeria International, which is also the 12th edition of the combined Mr. and Miss Nigeria International, is fashioned to promote culture and intelligence.
“We decided to separate the mixed pageantry, which had existed for 12 years, to give them more concentration and attention.
“The first Miss Nigeria contest, held in Ekiti and supported by the state government, was won by Madaka Favour, a graduate of Business Administration from Anambra State University,” he said.
According to the pageant promoter, beauty is beyond external looks, it is in the brain, and these are areas considered during the screening.
He noted that the screening also considered the abilities of leadership, sportsmanship, facial beauty, and especially, self-intelligence of the young ladies.
Nsikak also said that the 24-year-old outgoing queen, within her one year reign, carried out a variety of heart-touching programmes.
“The outgoing queen, Miss Madaka Favour alongside two other qualified ladies in the 2022 edition had enrolled to represent Nigeria in the world stage,” he said.
