A 25-year-old Guinea Bissauan, Fatoumata Diaraye Diallo, Sunday emerged the winner of Miss Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Peace Pageant, which took place at the Polo Club, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Diallo, who contested with tag number 29, won the crown as the most beautiful girl in ECOWAS, after dusting 29 other contestants from 15 countries. With two contestants from Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote D’ivore, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal Serra Leone and Togo, Dialo said she was overwhelmed that she emerged as the overall winner.
Apart from the overall winner and wearer of the crown, contestant number 28, Miss Sophia Thiam, 19 years old, a citizen of Senegal came first runner up, while a Nigerian, 20-year-old Lafeya Gariga came second
runner up.
Speaking at the occasion, Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, expressed delight at the turn out of representatives from different countries.
Amaechi said the contest marked the opening of the 2011, Rivers Carnival, which main opening ceremony is scheduled to take place on December 13, at the Carnival Village.
In her massage, the event production Manager, Maxine Menson, said the ECOWAS Peace Pageant was instituted for the promotion of peace and stability in the ECOWAS sub-region and to advance the youth initiative of the ECOWAS commission in Abuja, stressing that with the event of programme, youth would be empowered to better statues.
“We believe that the empowerment of our youth is of vital importance and will eventually leave a lasting mark of peace in our homes, communities and around the globe.”
Menson added that with hosting of the event three times in Rivers State, the State has tremendously experienced a great change as regards to reports of violence, commending Amaechi for his effort to bring peace and stability in the state.
“A few years ago, Rivers State was noted for its instability however, today, we see the positive changes that have taken place and continue to take palace. Thanks to the vision of Governor Amaechi, we see many investors flooding the State due to the improved conditions,” she said.
Meanwhile, one of the participants who said to have come from Ghana, Saviour Aluada, expressed dissatisfaction over the planning of the event, stressing that to achieves its purpose, the event should not be stagnant in a particular country and state but be rotated through the 15 ECOWAS countries. He said that the organisers were yet to produce the aim of organising the contest.
“Basically the whole show has not shown me a demonstration, how the ECOWAS may have created peace among each other. So far all I have seen here is not the best, ECOWAS pageant has been done here three times. It should be distributed into 15 different ECOWAS countries, giving others the opportunity.
“Again the current Miss ECOWAS has not demonstrated any activities being taken, in terms of how they empower the youths in the society, empowering women or visiting homes, like early pregnancies, marriages or even intimidations of less privilege ones,” Aluada stated.
By Muhammad Bello
