From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
Abia State University, Uturu (ABSU), community has every reason to be happy as one of its students, Miss Chikaodi Agidi, was recently crowned the 2021 Miss Abia.
When Miss Agidi, 22, a native of Nkporo, in Ohafia Local Government Area of Abia State, entered the Miss Abia Beauty Pageant, little did she know she would emerge winner after a rigorous process.
Selecting the most beautiful girl in Abia State was not easy; starting from convincing the models to the selection proper. Chief executive officer, GEES Concept Modeling Company, Mr. Felix Onuiri, who packaged the show, attested to this. He explained that the activities of some fraudulent modelling companies have made it difficult for genuine ones to operate.
According to him, “It was a big task for my company to hold the show in the state because most models no longer believe that modelling companies could fulfill their promises in terms of prizes to be won.
“These models have been deceived many times; any of them that you invite to come and contest will tell you, is it the one I will contest and I won’t get anything? They will give you many instances where they have been defrauded. They even give names. The girls register for shows but they are defrauded and no prize is given to them. It was a big task to convince these models to believe in my company.”
Onuiri called on Abia State government to set up a task force to ensure that anybody who wants to host a pageant must present the prize gift before the show is approved.
Describing the show as free and fair, Onuiri further disclosed that the eligibility criterion was that the models must have lived in Abia State for two years, irrespective of where they hail from: “The condition is that you have lived in Abia State for two years, whether you are an indigene or not.”
While presenting a car to the winner, Onuiri said: “We have delivered on the prize to be won. The car is fully insured; the clause is that the car won’t leave Abia State until one year; the branding on the car won’t be removed until one year. After a year, the car totally becomes the property of the model.”
Permanent secretary, Ministry of Youth Development, Mr. Friday Ikpeoha, supervisors of the event, commended the company for conducting a free, fair and credible contest.
Equally, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Arts, Culture and Tourism, Kingsley Ogbonna, said the state government was willing to partner with any company to develop and empower youths in the state.
Winner of the pageant, Miss Agidi, pledged to use her position to visit secondary schools in the state to teach students how to resist harassment and other forms of abuse. She thanked the organizers of the event for the car gift, which she said would make the work of her new role easier.