Miss Earth Nigeria
Formation2002
TypeBeauty Pageant
HeadquartersLagos
Location
Membership
Miss Earth
Official language
English
President
Ibinabo Fiberesima Gwenivere Chioma
Websitewww.missearthnigeria.com

Miss Earth Nigeria is an annual national beauty pageant in Nigeria to select its representative to the international Miss Earth pageant.[1][2] The pageant, with the theme "Beauties for a Cause" is organized by AMC Productions,[3] and began sending representatives to Miss Earth a year after the international pageant was established in 2001.[4] Nigeria has achieved six placements in Miss Earth.

The current titleholder is Dubai-based plastic surgeon Shelly Usman Ugoma.

History

Originally, titleholders were contestants from rival pageants Miss Commonwealth Nigeria (Vanessa Ibene Ekeke) and Miss Nigeria (Ewemade Ogbebor), until Miss Earth Nigeria became a pageant in its own right in 2004. The winner is expected to work in collaboration with environmentalist and state parastatals on how to make water safe, check erosion, pollution among others.[5] The pageant also conducts road shows to educate people on the three R's (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle).[6]

Nigeria produced its first Miss Earth top ten finalist when Susan Modupe Garland entered in the top 10 in 2019.

The president and national director of the pageant is Ibinabo Fiberesima,[2][7] a pageant veteran who is now a Nollywood actress.[8][9]

Titleholders

Color key

Below are the Nigerian representatives to the Miss Earth pageant according to the year in which they participated. The special awards received and their final placements in the aforementioned global beauty competition are also displayed.[4]

Ufuoma Ejenobor, winner of the first Miss Earth Nigeria pageant in 2004
Year Miss Earth Nigeria Placement Notes
2002 Vanessa Ibene Ekeke[10] Unplaced
2003 Eva Ewemade Ogbebor[8] Unplaced
2004 Ufuoma Stacey Ejenobor[11][12] Unplaced
2005 Ethel Okosun [13] Unplaced
2006 Ivy Obrori Edenkwo[14] Unplaced
2007 Stacey Garvey[15] Top 16[16]
2008 Ezinne Uko [17] Top 16[18]
2009 Nkesi Gift Okandu (Dethroned)[19]
Modesta Tochi Alozie (Replaced Okandu)[20][21] Unplaced
2010 Inarah Anthonia Isaiah[22] Unplaced
2011 Munachi Chinyere Uzoma (Dethroned) Unplaced
2012 No Contest Held
2013 Marie Miller Unplaced
2014 Amarachi Uwakwe

(Dethroned)

Damola Akinsanya (Replaced Uwakwe) Unplaced 1st place, gold medalist(s) Best Teacher
2015 Vivian Chinonye Chukwukere Unplaced
2016 Chioma Precious Obiadi Unplaced 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) National Costume (Africa)
2017 Eucharia Windy Akani Unplaced 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Long Gown (Group 2)
2018 Maristella Chidiogo Okpala Unplaced 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) National Costume (Africa)
2019 Modupe Susan Garland Top 10 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Swimsuit (Fire)
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) National Costume (Africa)
2020 Gwenivere Chioma Ifeanyieze Top 20[23] 1st place, gold medalist(s) National Costume (Africa)
1st place, gold medalist(s) Evening Gown Competitiom (Africa)
1st place, gold medalist(s) Sport Wear Competitiom (Africa)
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Talent (Sing) (Africa)
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Swimsuit Competititon (Africa)
2021 Christine Telfer Ugah Edet Top 20 Best Eco Video (Africa)
2022 Esther Oluwatosin Ajayi Top 12 Darling of the Press (Africa)
Best Fauna Outfit (Africa)
Best National Costume (Africa)
1st place, gold medalist(s) Swimsuit Competition (Africa)
1st place, gold medalist(s) Talent Competition (ECO Group)
2023 Shelly Uzoagba Ugoma[24] Unplaced
2024 TBA TBA

Other notable contestants

Controversy

In 2009, Law student Nkesi Okandu was dethroned by pageant organisers after she refused to compete in Miss Globe International as opposed to Miss Earth. Fiberesima later claimed that she had received threatening phone calls from Okandu's family who argued that her substitution was unfair. The newly crowned queen was labelled "rude" by the organisers, and was forced to resign after just two weeks, allowing second-place winner Biochemistry student Modesta Alozie to compete at Miss Earth instead, and reign as Miss Earth Nigeria for the remaining eleven months. It has since been argued that this was a plan to eliminate the winner, noting that while Okandu had signed her contract on September 25 (the same day she was asked to compete in for Miss Globe International), Alozie was already being credited as the winner of Miss Earth Nigeria on the Miss Earth website as early as September 22.[19]

Munachi Uzoma, who won the pageant in 2011, sued the organisers for breach of contract following their failure to give her the N1,000,000 cash prize and brand new car, and disclosed that some of her predecessors also suffered similar treatment.[25]

References

  1. ^ Brown, Riche (22 December 2011). "Preserve the Earth, Preserve the man". Feminaire Magazine. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  2. ^ a b All Africa Global Media, News (7 November 2011). "Nigerian Showbiz Flair Tit Bits [analysis]". Middle East North Africa Financial Network. Retrieved 7 November 2011. ((cite news)): |first= has generic name (help)
  3. ^ "About Miss Earth Nigeria". Miss Earth Nigeria website. 1 April 2012. Archived from the original on March 27, 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2012.[unreliable source?]
  4. ^ a b West, Donald (31 March 2012). "Miss Earth country participation lists". Pageantopolis. Archived from the original on 6 December 2011. Retrieved 31 March 2012.((cite news)): CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)[unreliable source?]
  5. ^ Ibinabo Fiberesima searches for Miss Earth Nigeria 2013 Archived 2014-02-02 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ Green pageants: Beauty and the Earth Archived 2014-02-01 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ Olomu, Clemetina (24 June 2007). "Nigeria: Did the Zeb Ejiro And Ibinabo Love Story in Phillipine [sic] Turn Sour?". All Africa. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  8. ^ a b "Ibinabo Fiberesima". Modern Ghana. 3 December 2006. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  9. ^ "Ibinabo Fiberesima". Archived from the original on 2010-12-27. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
  10. ^ "Miss Earth 2002". Woman of the Earth. 20 October 2002. Archived from the original on March 1, 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2012.[unreliable source?]
  11. ^ "Acting's cost me my modelling career". Modern Ghana. 19 April 2009. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  12. ^ "Biography Of Ufuoma Stacey Ejenobor". Nigeria Movies Review. 6 March 2011. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  13. ^ "Miss Earth 2005". Woman of the Earth. 23 October 2005. Archived from the original on March 1, 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2012.[unreliable source?]
  14. ^ "Miss Earth 2006". Woman of the Earth. 26 November 2006. Archived from the original on March 1, 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2012.[unreliable source?]
  15. ^ Okonkwo, Chizoba (6 October 2007). "Nigeria: Miss Earth to Work With the Indigent". AllAfrica.com. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
  16. ^ "Fil-Canadian Jessica Nicole Trisko crowned Ms. Earth". Philippine Entertainment Portal, GMA Network News. 13 November 2007. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  17. ^ "Miss Earth Post Coronation, November 9, 2008, Philippines". Jamaicans.com. 19 November 2008. Archived from the original on 23 September 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  18. ^ Trung, Thanh (23 October 2008). "Miss Earth 2008 thuộc về Hoa hậu Philippines". Theo Thể Thao & Văn Hóa, Vietnam. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  19. ^ a b Miss Earth Pageant: A betrayal from home
  20. ^ Gomez, Carla (10 November 2009). "Let's go green, beauties call". Visayan Daily Star. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  21. ^ "Negros Occidental hosts 26 Ms Earth candidates". Cebu Daily News. 12 November 2009. Archived from the original on 19 February 2014. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  22. ^ "Người đẹp da đen nổi bật tại Miss Earth 2010". Biethet.com. 23 November 2010. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  23. ^ "Miss Earth 2020 Pageant: Top 20 Contestants Revealed". 29 November 2020.
  24. ^ "Miss Earth Nigeria 2023 is Shelly Uzoagba Ugoma, An Entrepreneur and a Cosmetic Surgeon". Facebook.com. June 21, 2023. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  25. ^ Miss Earth Accuses Organisers Of Breach Of Contract

External links

Miss Earth participating countries and territories
Categories