And male members of the audience were craning their necks over and around to steady their gazes on the ladies as they wiggled their voluptuous hips on the catwalk. The next was the evening-wear portion when the contestants were clad in brightly coloured costume with special reference to splendour and riches of effect that gave the judges the opportunity to witness each lady’s unique sense of fashion. The best bikini, the best nightgown, people’s choice awards were handed out to the winners before the top 16 was narrowed to seven. Those who did not make the big seven dissolved into the backstage and their hopes of winning the competition came to a sorry halt. From the seven remaining finalists, Miss Blessing Afulukwe, 18, was named second runner-up, and Miss Anna Ogunyemi, 17, followed as first runner-up. Now the remaining five ladies braced for the emotional impact of hearing the winner. And Miss Oluwafeyi Okupe became the first Miss Elegant UK. The event’s add-ons were the cream of talented African artistes and jesters who seized the stage at regular intervals to entertain the audience with a Niagara of captivating songs, dances and loud laughs to add colour and vivaciousness to the event. The quality of the event was adjudged high, but the organisers’ inadequate preparations were penalised by low turn-out. The contest which was scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. started four hours late. However, those who spoke to The Trumpet after the show said lateness did not diminish the quality of the show, and they did not blame the organisers. The blame went to the dog-in-the-manger attitude of African audience for failing to accept the culture and discipline of good time-keeping. Even one of the sponsors, Mr E. Williams, who came six hours late and did not see the beginning of the show, brushed aside the complaints of late start. He lavished praise on the organisers for a job well done. He said: “I think this is fantastic. It exceeded my expectations. You know, I was looking for something to be proud of, and we got our money’s worth. The girls were beautiful, the dresses were outstanding, the organisation was good, and what we got out of the competition made up for the delay.” The master of ceremony, Mr Femi Okutubo, the publisher/editor-in-chief of The Trumpet newspaper whose jocose personality kept the audience smiling and upbeat, spoke in a similar vein when he said: “I think it’s a very good start. I believe the guests that came here enjoyed themselves. The only way for Miss Elegant is ‘up,’ and I believe the future event will be a lot better. “And on the issue of the late start, it isn’t the fault of the organisers. It’s the case of guests not arriving on time. They couldn’t start the show with an empty hall. I think it’s only a matter of time. A journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step. We can only expect that things will improve. And I would advise the organisers to improve on publicity. And if each contestant had come here with five or ten people, it would have made a great difference in the number of guests we had.” With a sense of accomplishment and a dream come true, ‘Yes We Can,’ the founder of Miss Elegant UK, Ms Theodora Ibekwe, 35, an alumna of the University of Lagos, and a woman of weight in showbiz both in Nigeria and in the UK, told The Trumpet that this year’s beauty queen would engage in charity work. According to her, there are sickle cell children still out there labouring under cruel handicaps, and are on bended knees with arms outstretched in an appeal for our help. And there is an overwhelming necessity to do something about their plight. “It’s also important to add that an event like this can keep the young ones busy and encourage them not to join anti-social elements. We should engage them in activities to curtail the enormous time they have doing nothing positive to benefit them and their society. That’s what the contest is all about.” Theodora said. The co-founder of Miss Elegant UK, Mr Azuka Benson, also praised the outcome of the show. “It’s a success. It could be better. I know that we can never be perfect, but we can set our minds towards that perfection, even though it may not be reached. And this event is all about entertaining our guests, and we should ensure that the contestants know what they are doing. We’ll continue to promote and help them to achieve their potentials.” The Chairman/CEO of M&M, Otunba Abiola Asalulola, and one of the sponsors of the event was not left out. And when asked what he took away from the event, he was quick to say: “The zeal and the determination that radiates from the girls is really amazing. I feel everyone worked so hard to get to this stage. And that zeal is something I really feel it’s enough and it compensates for my being here, apart from the fact that Theodora is a wonderful lady who is also a supporter of our own establishment. So we have to support her to make the event a reality.” The event was a happy ending, but not everyone was happy with the way it ended. One of the contestants, Miss Debi Adelakun who did not go beyond the first round, criticised the organisers for adopting ‘popular vote’ to decide who won the best bikini, best nightgown and people’s choice awards. “It’s ridiculous,” she said, looking off colour, “that they should use ‘people’s vote’ for giving awards because someone like me came here without friends and families who could cast their votes for me. And I know I’m beautiful. So apart from that I’m feeling great.” |
