By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Registration for the 2022 Miss Niger Delta has commenced. Later this month, a winner will emerge and will be crowned the 19th Miss Niger Delta, Ambassador for Peace and Development.
In a statement, the Director of Media and Communication of Miss Niger Delta Organisation, Ms Karina Israel, disclosed that the event aims to support the development and growth of young females from the oil-rich region and promote socio-economic and human capital development.
She stated that intending participants could get the forms at no cost at the nine participating states, with the screening of contestants to be held in three zones.
It was revealed that those in Edo, Ondo and Delta States would meet in Delta State for their screening, while those in Bayelsa, Awka Ibom and Rivers States will converge on Rivers State for the screening, with those in Cross River, Abia and Imo States meeting in Imo State for theirs.
“Every lady who scales through to the finale, which will hold this December, is a winner, as they will all have cash prizes.
“In addition to that, there will be entrepreneurship training and mentoring as well as starter packs that will be given to all the ladies who make it through to the screening.
“The winner will be crowned the 19th Miss Niger Delta, Ambassador for Peace and Development and will have a branded official car alongside cash gifts and other interesting prizes.
“One thing we are certain of is that every young Niger Delta woman who comes through to the main event will go back more equipped and better developed to support herself and affect her community,” Ms Israel said.
The public relations practitioner explained that the pageant was designed to re-awaken the entrepreneurial skills of young females of the region and equip them with the necessary skill set to be self-sufficient, which, in turn, will propel the growth and development of the Niger Delta.
“Female youths of the Niger Delta can change not just the region but the world at large, and we must deliberately provide them with the necessary mindset and skills set to explore.
“This is what the Miss Niger Delta organization is about. To ensure that every lady from the region is given an equal opportunity to represent their various states, the forms have been made free of charge, but they must be willing to improve and impact their community and the nation at large,” she said.
Since its inception in 1999, the Miss Niger Delta Peace Cultural Pageant has produced over 18 Ambassadors for Peace and Development and supported over 2,000 young women from the Niger Delta through its various empowerment and developmental initiatives.
Adedapo Adesanya