My journey to the crown was that of hard work and perseverance – Miss Tourism Nigeria

 Miss Tourism Nigeria 2014 and the Special Assistant to Gov Obiano on Tourism recentlty spoke to journalists on how hard work and perseverance gave her the coveted crown.

Here are some excerpts from the interview:

I started going for pageant audition in 2009. I was in year one in the university then. I went for Miss NASELS (National Association of English Language and Literature students), Nnamdi Azikiwe University. I was our departmental beauty queen. I didn’t come out with anything. Then I went for Miss UNIZIK the next year and I also came out with nothing. I auditioned for Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria (MBGN) 2010, I didn’t make it to camp. Then I went for Miss Earth audition in 2011, I still did not make it and in 2012, I went for Miss Global Nigeria. In 2013, I went for Most Beautiful Girl in Abuja. I was second runner up in Most Beautiful Girl in Abuja before I auditioned for Miss Tourism Nigeria, 2014 and won.


My story is that of hard work and perseverance. If I had not persevered all these years, I would have given up. I went for six pageants and the seventh one paid off. There were times I felt that nature was not favoring me. At first when I started, my mum advised me to face my studies because there were times I will have to leave school for a whole week and at times two weeks to be in camp. My mum was not happy about it. When she saw that I went for the first, second and third pageants and I was still not giving up, she saw I had passion for what I was going for. She gave me her support and I am happy that the hard work paid off.


Not only friends, even people that I am not very acquainted with, they all laugh at me at some point. They said things like ‘Collette and pageant; ‘she keeps going for auditions and not winning any’. They mocked me.

But now that I have won, they are happy for me. I see on their facebook walls written boldly ‘a story of perseverance and hard work finally paid off’. And there are other people who are not so happy for me but that is how the world is. You just have to accept them that way because there is no success without criticism.

I learnt so much. I will say my winning Miss Tourism is a combination of experience, intelligence, beauty and God’s favour. Before I signed up for Miss Tourism, I had already learnt how to catwalk and behave in camp from other pageants. I learnt a lot from the previous ones. They molded my personality. Another thing I have learnt is not to give up on your dream. This is like an open door for me and it keeps getting better.


I am so proud of this Queen... Mr Tourism on my mind!