Beauty queens must use platform for the right reasons ―Mrs Tourism, UN

Ebele Enemchukwu holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Microbiology from Abia State University and a Masters Degree in Business Administration from the University of Lagos. The mother of three, whose reign as Mrs Nigeria United Nations and Mrs Tourism United Nations World will come to an end this month, in this interview with TAYO GESINDE, talks about what she will miss being a beauty queen.

How it all began

I had several opportunities to participate in beauty pageantry while growing up but my mother would have none of that. She had this belief that girls who go into beauty pageantry were morally loose and, being the first girl, she made sure that stuck. So, whenever opportunities presented themselves, I would say I was not interested until I got to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) camp in Lagos in 2015, and everybody in my platoon insisted I should contest for Miss NYSC. Then, I decided to do it for the fun of it. Interestingly, I contested and won. In 2015, I heard about the Mrs Nigeria beauty pageant on radio and went to their website to check it out. I read about the contest and realised it was something I could do. I spoke with my husband about it, he gave me his support, I contested and won.

My Mrs Tourism experience

It was a beautiful experience. It gave me the opportunity to travel to Kingston, Jamaica to represent Nigeria at the Mrs Tourism United Nations Beauty Pageant and I met many beautiful women from all over the world; Mrs USA, Mrs Europe, Mrs Ukraine, Mrs Jamaica and so on. The relationships I made there are still ongoing. I realised there are things money can’t buy and those are the things we should treasure the most. Waking up early, the physical activities – jogging and other exercises – were all fun.

The journey so far

Upon winning the Mrs Nigeria and Mrs Tourism titles in Nigeria and Kingston, Jamaica respectively, I made a promise to myself and God, to use the platform provided to give, and not just receive. This I did to the best of my ability, while constantly praying for the strength, health, and resources to do much more. What a lot of people didn’t know, however, was that all of the charity works I carried out, particularly in the first few months, were done from my personal savings. It was in never relenting to give the little I could in personal capacity, that such people as Ms Maria Svensson, upon learning this, demanded that I always notify her of future charity works. She has been a constant source of support ever since then. Pastor Iyke, my parents, family, as well as some of my friends have been super-supportive too. Charity is something I enjoy, not because I do not have personal needs, but because those needs are almost always filled with the pure joy that follows any act of kindness at any given point in time. My all-time winner, in terms of support, love and encouragement, goes to my husband, Mr Emeka Enemchukwu and our three adorable children. Though my reign as Mrs Tourism United Nations World will come to a successful end this July, I have no intention whatsoever of ending my charity works with it and that was why I launched the WABIO Foundation. It is the humble vehicle on which future charity activities shall ride.

What are you going to miss about your tenure?

I will miss a lot, but I will start by thanking God for the journey so far. I will miss the experience. Maybe the easiest thing to say is the fact that I won’t be wearing my crown and sash around again. However, aside that, the relationships I have established will remain for a lifetime. So, there are things that can’t really be taken away. God provided the platform for a reason and I am sure some people have probably never heard of me till now and will be wondering which one is Mrs Nigeria but if I had been involved in any crazy thing, the story would have been all over the news by now. That didn’t happen because I realised this platform is not really about what you can get or making so much money; it is about what you can give and I have been doing that in my personal capacity, from my savings, until a friend said that charity is a beautiful thing, and is not supposed to burn the source and advised that I involve other people too. My husband too has been very supportive of my charity efforts.

Advice to young girls who want to contest beauty pageants

Go into it with the right motive. Don’t go into it because you want your pictures splashed on the pages of the newspapers or because you want to be famous. There is probably going to be a cost implication to that. Are you ready to pay the price? Don’t be naive. If what is driving you is your ego, I am not sure I can advise on that. But for the person who is undecided on whether to contest, my darling, search your soul, do you really want to do this? Are you prepared for it? Because it is possible if I had done this at a younger age, maybe I might have been carried away. Who knows? But I am more mature now, more experienced and more equipped to handle the challenges that come with the position. So, for girls who want to do this, be sure it is what you want to do and once you are convinced, do it for the right reasons. It is then you can inspire others. Let a mother look at you and say I want my daughter to be like this lady and not the other way around. Let that be your yardstick and I think you are on the right path. Whatever you do, excellence should be your watchword. Hold yourself in good self-esteem. I would wish any lady who wants to be a beauty queen well. It is a beautiful thing but use the platform well.