Murray Bruce seeks support, announces plans to mark the anniversary

Vice President of the Silverbird Group, Guy Murray Bruce has announced the search is on across the nation for the next Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria (MBGN).

This is the 30th edition and will be an epoch making one as it rides on a hair raising sub theme 'Gender Based Violence -The plight of the Nigerian woman; an addition to the pageant’s main theme 'The true essence of beauty..... Timeless.'

Outgoing MBGN, Unoaku Anyadike also lent her voice in this regard, making a passionate appeal to the government at all levels to take the fight against gender based violence more seriously.

Unoaku in a very moving speech at the press briefing to announce the 30th edition of the pageant in Lagos said ''It is sobering to realise that behind the closed doors of homes everywhere, in the place where women have the right to feel most safe, horrific abuse is a daily reality."

The scourge is real and Unoaku, like many other campaigners before her, is shocked by the statistics which show that "nearly 50 per cent of all sexual assaults worldwide are against girls 15 years or younger"

Bruce who was visibly excited over the announcement for the 30th edition of the pageant further called on corporate organisations and the media to be a part of the show as sponsors and partners.

Screenings have been scheduled to hold on the 8th of August in Enugu, 10th of August in Port Harcourt, Abuja 12th of August. The final screening to select the 35 contestants holds on 14th August at Best Western Hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos.

Past winners of the MBGN have made huge imprints globally with Agbani Darego now an international super model and fashion entrepreneur becoming the very first Black African Miss World in 2001.

Others are Mary Ngozi Bienoseh, Chinenye Ochuba and Anita Uwagbale named African Continental Queen of beauty, reaching the top ten at Miss World 1987, 2002 and 2004 respectively.

Bianca Onoh was crowned Miss Intercontinental in 1989, and Sabina Umeh was the first Nigerian to win the Personality prize at Miss World 1990. Toyin Raji was the recipient in 1995, and until recently, Celestine Queen won the Miss Congeniality title in the Miss Universe pageant 2014

Furthermore, Bruce said this year's pageant comes with lots of surprises plus much more mouth watering prizes for the winners and assured everyone of a world class event in line with the best of Silverbird's tradition.

The winner of the anniversary competition which holds on September 15 at the Eko hotel in Lagos will move on to represent Nigeria at the Miss World pageant taking place in Sanya, China on 18 November 2017 while the first runner up will represent Nigeria at the Miss Universe pageant.