The Director of the Miss Nigeria USA pageant, Ms Joy Fakhoury, told newsmen on Tuesday in New York that 17 contestants would participate in the beauty contest. The sixteen finalists are Miss Abia, Abuja, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Imo, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo and Rivers.
The pageant holds annually since 2014, and the prize for the winner of the 2017 Miss Nigeria USA pageant is $10,000 dollars.
According to Fakhoury, the contest aims to empower young Nigerian women and support them towards achieving their individual goals as they promote their culture. She said the pageant provided young Nigerian women the forum to share not only their platform and their talent, but the opportunity to express their views on local, regional, national and global issues pertaining to Nigeria. It also provides opportunities to young women to represent Nigeria and its culture abroad, she added. “We support the Nigerian culture by using this model of competition. This experience prepares them to accept life’s challenges and to produce role models who exemplify and promote positive values amongst Nigerians.”
