The 1st runner-up of Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria 2013, 19-year-old Miss Stephanie Chidera Okwu, insists that contrary to what people think, becoming a beauty queen takes wit in addition to beauty, and that she is desperate to touch lives.
The Biology Education under-graduate of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), who will represent Nigeria at the Most Beautiful Girl in the Universe  pageant in Moscow, Russia, later in the year, talks to PATIENCE IVIE-IHEJIRIKA AND EVELYN OKORUWA

At what point did you decide you were beautiful enough to go for a beauty pageant?

There was never a point for me. I have not always prided myself on my beauty, because there are lots of beautiful girls in Nigeria. So, I don’t think beauty was it, per se, but I just believe it was a combination of beauty, brains and passion. The package is a fine mix of everything good.

Which will you consider the most important thing a contestant for a beauty pageant needs to possess; beauty or brains?

I wouldn’t give it to beauty only; though beauty is a plus, a factor which projects you even before you speak. It is the first thing people see. I will also say that being brainy is important, because if you are beautiful and you are unable to express yourself in public, you won’t be noticeable anymore because they will say “she is just beautiful, she can’t even partake in a conversation”. So, I believe that being a beauty queen is a mixture of everything. There is none which should be considered above the other: You need beauty, brains and courage, as well as every other thing which comes with it. They are all important.

Were you scouted or you just went for the competition on your own?
Before MBGN, I was modelling in my own little way. I really like modelling. When I was 17, I was told to go for the competition, but I heard that the age-limit was 18, so I decided to wait for this year. I turned 18 earlier in the year, so I was of age when I went for the casting; so I wasn’t scouted. My mother, friends and family members encouraged me to go for it. I give kudos to every one of them for being there for me. Their prayers paid off, because I got picked in both castings. My height also went in my favour; when I walked in, everybody said “she is tall,” and that really helped matters.

Did you, at any point, entertain fears about your chances when you saw other beautiful contestants?

Fear is something no one should entertain, because it quickly floors you, damages your esteem and causes you to lose confidence. Meeting a lot of beautiful girls who are smart in their own way, you get to know that the competition is going to be tough, and you can’t just walk in and grab the crown. You have to show that you possess the qualities desired of a queen before you get to win it. To be honest, I only believed in God, because I knew he is the only one I could count on to take me there, and do what He wants as His will in my life. He has always been my strong-hold. My mother kept the support coming through her prayers and my friends kept calling; they were all there for me.

What was the whole process of the pageant like?

MBGN starts with you buying the form at any outlet, after which you have to attend a zonal casting, which is the casting for the area where you reside. If you are in Lagos State, you have to go for the Lagos State casting, and if you are in FCT, you have to go for the casting in Abuja. After the choiced ones have been selected, if you make it, you will be required to go for a regional casting, which is also the final phase where the girls going to camp are picked. Girls are selected to represent the states we have in Nigeria and are taken to camp (this year’s camp held in Bayelsa), where you are required to go through daily routines from the moment you wake up, until you go to bed. Camp lasts for two weeks, until the last day when one person is crowned. This winner emerges from the top five contenders, and they are chosen to represent the country in different versions of beauty pageants around the world: the winner is MBGN world, first runner-up MBGN universe, second runner-up MBGN tourism, third runner-up MBGN ECOWAS, and the fourth runner-up.

What’s your reaction to claims of girls manipulating the organisers, in order to emerge winners?
I didn’t experience any of that, because the camp was too busy and tight. There was so much to do in those two weeks for anyone to have time for that. We woke up by 6am and went to bed at, say, 11pm, because we had to train, work-out and learn our routines. So, no one had time for that, though I didn’t notice. But for me, those rumours are not true.

So, will you say the competition is actually merit-based?
Yes, I believe it is merit-based.

Do you agree that the winner deserves the crown?
I will say everybody goes into the camp with the mind-set of winning, but there can only be one winner. But like I said, it is not just about beauty; there are so many parameters used for selecting the right person in camp –  the way you eat, talk, friendliness and disposition towards others, everything is judged. So, I wouldn’t say someone gets picked because she is just beautiful. I believe it takes a whole lot more than that. For me Anna, the winner, is a very beautiful young girl, she is 18 and I believe she has what it takes.

What do you think your chances will be at the Miss Universe competition?
I think my chances are high, because I have God – I’m not trying to sound too religious, but that is the truth. If you want to say you have beauty, there are lots of beautiful girls; if you want to say it is all about height, I am sure there are girls who might be taller than I am. Beauty can’t be everything, because when they ask you questions, they consider your answers, watch your poise, carriage and passion. Everything counts.

How do you intend to give back to the society?
I intend to give back to the society in many ways; I would love to help a lot of lives by God’s grace. My passion is basically for less privileged children, so I would really want to help a lot of children during and after my reign, so that I can bring smiles to their faces. Many children are going through a lot, especially young girls, and some of them have to endure these things alone, because of fear and societal stigma. I would also like to help in the area of common sicknesses which attack children and create awareness for sickle cell anemia. A lot of children suffer from this blood condition because the parents were ignorant of the incompatibility of their genotype, and ended up giving birth to sickle-celled children, who end up suffering so much.

So, how do you combine all of these with your studies?

I am trying to manage the two of them, but whatever is worth doing is worth doing well. That said, I will do all in my power not to be a jack-of-all-trade; one who does not do anything well. If, in the long-run, it becomes impossible to mix both, I might have to defer my studies for a year at school. I really need to touch lives.

 …And for younger girls who aspire to be beauty queens?
They should never lose hope; they should, rather, remain confident. That is what counts. No matter how beautiful you think you are, it takes more than that to be a beauty queen; if you are not confident, when you other beautiful, bolder girls, your heart will give in. Above all, trust in God.


(Leadership)