Entertainment
AGBANI DAREGO
The 19-year-old Computer student at the University of Port Hartcourt is a woman that we thought would just only make it good to the top ten. We thought more spectacular beauties would drown her. But she trudged on and eventually won---the first ever Nigerian and black African to do so.“Black is beautiful’, she beamed to the reporters after the victory. Revellers in her home country couldn’t agree more. Her victory instantly swept the country bringing pride to her Western African nation wrecked by mismanagement in part of the government for years. Supporting in her endeavours are her dad and her maternal grandmother. It is sad to note that Agbani’s mother had already passed away. The story of Agbani is something that is quite unique. She started it all when she tried to pursue modelling and was eventually chosen to represent her country at the “Face of Africa” contest. She won and proceeded on by participating in the “Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria” contest. She finished as a runner-up. Then a scandal that rocked the Nigerian showbiz world came in. The supposed winner Valerie Ama Peterside was stripped with her title because she lied about her age and her educational attainment. So here comes Agbani Darego. She was tasked to fill in the vacant position and represented Nigeria at the Miss Universe Pageant.  Exuding grace and unique beauty, Agbani wowed everyone and eventually won the hearts of many observers. When the finals night came in she was one of the ten finalists. Such feat was almost an equivalent of winning the title because Nigeria had never seen her ladies reaching this far. The closest was Mary Bienoseh where she finished as part of the top ten in Miss World 1987. Toyin Raji is far the closests at Miss Universe when she finished on the 11th spot at Miss Universe 1995. Toyin also represented Nigeria at Miss World where she was a favourite and earned the Miss Congeniality award. She didn’t see the finals night however as organizers decided to expel her from the pageant in a protest against the execution of minority rights activists by the Nigerian ruling regime.
Agbani’s winning streak at the Miss World is something that we didn’t anticipate. In our predictions we placed her on the sixth place. Her edge is for being an experienced contender as well putting in the factor that she is a black African competing the title in South Africa.With a very elegant lime green dress, her towering figure is a huge plus. The gown she used is a far better choice than what she used at Miss Universe (being black, using the red gown is somehow a faux pas). She also used a two piece during the U-Decide program revealing a figure that she kept at Miss Universe where is used a one-piece suit. It is also here at Miss World that we spotted her out as a brilliant woman. In her interviews she clearly told the world that she is a Christian and stressed after the finals that she is “a born-again” Christian. At the top five, her answers may be slightly off to the gist of the question but her compassion for the underprevileged is what the judges are looking for. Agbani is what Nigeria needs ---a woman that could momentarily take away every Nigerian from their daily worries. In her home city of Port Hartcourt in the Rivers State, people welcomed her victory with street dancing as motorists blared their horns. She will reign for a year doing charitable works, a thing that Nigeria also need. After making history, Agabani's father whom she called as her hero should be proud of her. The rest of Nigeria couldn't resist but to follow. |
OLUCHI ONWEAGBA
Oluchi, whose first name in her native Igbo language means "God's work," was born in the Nigerian commercial capital of Lagos. Her father was a civil servant, and her mother was a nurse. She and her siblings (two brothers and a sister) lived in Ayilara Street, Ojuelegba, in Surulere, a low-income area of the sprawling metropolis. She spent her high school years as a good student, and enjoyed playing tennis and ping pong. To make her story one of rags to riches, it is often reported that to make ends meet, she sometimes sold bread on the streets of the city.She was urged by a family friend to enter into the M-Net Face of Africa preliminary screening at the M-Net office in Victoria Island, Lagos which she scaled through. The agency immediately groomed her to be one of Nigeria's entrants for a model competition, the M-Net Face of Africa (now called the Nokia Face of Africa). This despite the fact that, growing up, she had maintained a relative ignorance towards fashion and modeling. With the support of her family and friends, she decided to compete in the inaugural edition of the Face of Africa in 1998. This was the first-ever continent-wide model competition, as opposed to a mere beauty pageant, and was organized by the South African subscription television channel M-Net in collaboration with Elite Model Management. With her slim, tall (6 ft 2 in) figure, and her natural beauty, she captivated the judges, and she handily won the competition. She was just seventeen years old. Elite Model Management awarded Onweagba a three-year modeling contract, and a whirlwind life as a highly-sought-after fashion model began. 
Moving to New York City, where she is currently still living, she began to make an impact. Onweagba graced the covers of Italian Vogue, i-D, ELLE, Untold, and Surface, and she also was featured in Nylon, Marie Claire, Allure, and other national editions of Vogue around the world. She also became the face of the campaigns for Gianfranco Ferré, Victoria's Secret, Gap, Express, Banana Republic, and Ann Taylor. Onweagba's runway experience has been with John Galliano, Christian Dior, Costume National, Chanel, and Giorgio Armani, amongst others, in London, Milan, Tokyo and Paris. She has worked with such high-caliber photographers as Steven Meisel, Nick Kight, and Patrick Demarchelier.As her career took off, she did not forget her roots and attempted to give back to society. As one of the most high profile international models of Nigerian origin, she tries to serve as a role model for other aspiring talents in the west African country, especially young girls. She volunteers her time and her image for such NGOs as LEAP Africa (an entrepreneurship incubator) and NIPRO. She also is continuing her higher education, having studied for an associate's degree in the New York City educational system. After her three-year contract with Elite expired, she signed with DNA Model Management. She was also signed up to be one of Victoria's Secret "angels," making her the first model of Nigerian descent to achieve this status. A highlight of her career so far was when she was featured in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue three times, in 2005, 2006 and 2007. |
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