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Kossy Okonkwo wins Queen Varsity Afrika show, takes home N1 million, other benefits

By Victor Gbonegun
04 August 2019   |   4:03 am
It was an evening not to be forgotten in a hurry for contestants as well as guests at the grand finale of the maiden Queen Varsity Afrika reality TV show...

Winner of the TV reality show, Princess Kossy Okwonkwo (middle) flanked by other runners-up during the grand finale of the competition held in Lagos… recently.

It was an evening not to be forgotten in a hurry for contestants as well as guests at the grand finale of the maiden Queen Varsity Afrika reality TV show, the search for ‘Beauty plus brains’ held in Lagos.

Kossy Okonkwo of the Yaba College of Technology was winner at the maiden event and she got N1 million for her effort.

The show is promoted by a model expert/entrepreneur, Jasmine Ofoegbu, and it is geared towards empowering undergraduates and fresh graduates for the future.

The ‘no bikini, no-nudity beauty contest’, which is focused on youths and issues they grapple with such as, health, safety, self-esteem, culture, information technology and entrepreneurial skills, attracted guests like the Cultural Officer of Brazil Consulate in Lagos, Mr. Adeniran Arimoran, the permanent secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Mrs. Yewande Fadugba, representative of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Mr. Jide Olaiya, film actors and others.

Seventeen contestants, also called princesses, from 13 different tertiary institutions from across the country and Benin Republic, made it to the show, which began in February.

All contestants were taken to a boot camp for about three months where they were tutored and mentored by notable and respectable Nigerians in various fields of endeavours, including personalities like, the former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, who provided mentorship for the princesses on issues of good citizenship and how to run their businesses.

The top five Princesses with the highest votes from viewers then proceeded to the grand finale. The five finalists were, Kossy Okonkwo of Yaba College of Technology; Ifekandu Tonia of the National Open University of Nigeria; Omoye Arewa from Ekiti State University, Falola Druscilla Tolulope of Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta and Nwosu Joy from EPS University, Benin Republic.

At the grand finale, the finalists went through a series of rigorous contests in areas such as, personality, carriage, physical attributes and level of intelligence, Okonkwo won and also qualified to attend empowerment seminars and certifications within and outside Africa. The runners up, however, are only eligible for empowerment seminars and certifications.

According to the Chief Executive Officer of Queen Varsity Afrika show, Ofoegbu, the focus is to mentor and educate the girl-child, saying, ‘’when we educate the girl child, we educate a nation and this solves over half of the problems in the country.”

She disclosed that her savings were used to support the maiden edition, as the initiative was a product of a 10-year dream coming to reality.

“We thank management of the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta for allowing us to camp in their facility and allowing us to use most of their resources. In the 2020 edition, we look forward to having the support of corporate bodies and government organisations to empower and groom African females,” she stated.

According to Ofoegbu, the greatest challenge experienced in organising the show was the issue of funding to berth her dream. This, she stressed, was overcome by her resolute mindset for success.

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