Beauty pageant is a competition that ranks the physical beauty and intellectual property of a contestant.
Like every other beauty contest,there is a price for the winner.. Such rewards could be in form of cash, exotic cars or round trips .
Conversely, the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria,( MBGN,) beauty pageant organised by the Silverbed group and running for decades is aimed at motivating young girls to showcase their beauty while also using their brains and voices to improve their well-being and others.
The winner of the MBGN pageant usually represents Nigeria at international pageants in which the organizers are members.
They include Miss Universe,Miss World,Miss ECOWAS, and Miss Tourism,
For Marianne Benstowe,a three – hundred level student of Agric- Economy at the University of Port Harcourt, representing Bayelsa State in MBGN 2022, the pageant affords her the platform to launch her passion for helping people especially young women to move them to a world of hope and how their dreams of better lives can be achieved..
Speaking with current matters, Miriamme said ” I want to use this platform to start up an initiative that I’m very passionate about . I want to help young girls to fall in love with themselves and to teach them that someone else’s beauty isn’t the absence of their own.
I want to help women to realise that we are more than what society holds about us and I believe that I could be a voice and train other women to move from being a voice and cement ourselves and be leaders even in male dominated society
The 22- year- old whose dreams supercede the MBGN gave an insight of a plan of action that would open better opportunities for women and youths and activities that make the world a better place.
To achieve this,she said she would partner organisations that prioritize women empowerment and development while also pursuing her goal of making women to actualise their life dreams.
” Well I would first of all work with other organisations that work in women empowerment and see how far I can use my platform to spread more awareness to educate women on the opportunities we have right now in the world like Tech Industry, teaching young to make the right decisions to dream big and to aim higher than what society has told them.” Oh just go to school and just be a mother instead of just getting jobs or following their dreams and always saying “Oh I wished I did this,I wished I did that”. And I want to make them to know that it is possible that you can actually take action and be what you want to be “
Mirianne,born on March 7,2000 is empathic and shares a strong bond with her twin sister,Medlyn and other members of the family and friends.
She is,kind, compassionate and resourceful and described her relationship with friends ,family and the environment as one ,”filled with positivity, love and intentionality,’
Marianne Is articulate and has no dull moments. She is a social media influencer
She said ” I’m a content creator. I take pictures with different outfits for brands.I promote music and make interesting videos. I’m also a blogger on YouTube and I make blogs for my YouTube channel.so that people who love me ( fans) can see more of me on YouTube “.
She is one who not only believe in the development of women but also an advocate for healthcare awareness.In the light of this she is prepared if emerging the winner of the great contest to launch healthcare awareness programmes because ” I grew up having health challenges and I really want to spread awareness through that and also align with women empowerment programmes and I also want to spread too much positivity in the world so that there will be no room for negativity to fester.”
Answering questions on the Nigerian Education system,Mirriane who is among those affected by the ongoing ASUU strike said ” I don’t think that as a country we can say that we are moving forward when over 90% of students are affected by ASUU strike.. I believe that we need to do better.We need leaders with critical thinking who priotise the development of youths because we are leaders of tommorow., leaders who invest in the education of the youths because I believe that if you want to go fast you go alone but If you want to go further you go as a nation and we the youths make up the nation.. Without us I don’t think Nigeria can go as further as we expect it to go “
Identifying unemployment as a major problem of youths she said the government should place emphasis on the Technology Industry to provide jobs for the youths
” I believe that If Nigeria invests in the Tech industry and brings in Tech companies, the youths in Nigeria will not try to run away because everybody in Nigeria is trying to leave Nigeria at the moment . I believe that If we create a space for the Tech industry and healthcare and invite companies to site their businesses in Nigeria while government provides the enabling environment, there would be a lot of opportunities for the youths and the number of people leaving the country would reduce drastically.
Asked If she would also toe the part of young people running away , she said ” No I won’t because I love Nigeria and I take Nigeria to heart. I’d rather be here and succeed than leave. I do love traveling because the world is too beautiful and everybody should have the opportunity to see it but I would like to stay in Nigeria as long as I can except when I leave for work or for Educational purposes “
A strong believer in ” Now” to make impact tomorrow, she believes that” the time for young people to invest in their future is now” saying no better time than now.
When asked about facts of Bayelsa State she is representing, Mirianne said” Bayelsa as one of the core states in the Niger Delta region is blessed with vast crude oil and gas resources and contributes richly to the GDP of the country. However, the state where oil was first discovered in 1956 in commercial quantity wears features of woes in all fronts .
” The state shares problem of frequent oil spills leading to environmental degradation and loss of human and aquatic life. It shares in the fable of the goose that laid the golden eggs but in reality, a metaphor. ” Because in the midst of plenty, the people of the state whose occupation is fishing suffer abject poverty.
“Bayelsa people are known for their hospitality, charisma hardwork, honesty and commitment.
“Therefore, If I emerge winner of the MBGN contest, I will use my platform to bring a new direction that would inspire women , youths and even ginger adults to a live of productivity and profitability”
