By Princewill Ekwujuru
Over some decades, the Miss Nigeria pageant had been rested, but today, from what is gathered fromMrs.Nike Oshinowo Soneye, Chief Executive/Creative Director of AOE Events & Entertainment, and a former Miss Nigeria, said the pageant is taking a new return.

The return, Soneye said,  will be hinged on values and high morals, a mechanism that would  transform the pageant to promoting Nigerian values, as well celebrating the wonderful aspects of the different states of the federation.

According to her, “we are expecting a re-branded beauty pageant, a  unique pageant, one that promotes values and high morals of Nigeria; one that promotes education, one that celebrates everything wonderful about our nation, Nigeria; one that for the first time will actually go around our country highlighting all the wonderful aspects of our different states as well as promoting and celebrating our young women.”

Continuing, she explained that Miss Nigeria is unique, because no other pageant has all the values that it has. “For instance, there is no swimwear segment, and because of this, the whole of Nigeria, both the  Christian and Muslim community have approve of the pageant. For the first time, like other secular countries in the world, Nigeria will put in a pageant that the whole nation endorses because there is no swimwear.

“It is a highly moral pageant because you have got a woman handling it for once and because the prize is all about education and the promotion of family values.”

On sponsorship, the Creative Director said that companies that sponsor the event are expected to enjoy exposures of their brand (s) all through the competition.

Her words, “it would be a wonderful opportunity for them (companies), because for the first time, they will get to promote their brand all around Nigeria as well as showcase it abroad.”

On marketing materials, Oshinowo-Soneye said that her agency is evolving a 360 degree marketing communication tool to reach its targeted audience as well for awareness creation.

“We will see the full load of our awareness campaign breaking every time you tune to your television, you can’t escape some of it. You will see my face and the other ladies behind Miss Nigeria. We have a huge awareness campaign coming on just to educate the nation about Miss Nigeria pageant and what we plan to do with it. We have the reality part of the pageant to educate everybody and make sure that you are all participating in the choosing of your next queen.”