‘Why bank supported beauty competition’

Heritage Bank Plc has said its support for the 2017 yearly beauty pageant is all about empowerment of women, as part of sustainable ways of banking.

The Head of Corporate Communications of Heritage Bank, Fela Ibidapo, also told journalists that the bank’s partnership with the organisers was also a revival of the tradition that the organisers were known for.

“Our involvement in this is not because of beauty per se. It’s primarily to empower ladies and women generally to always put in their best in whatever they do to make a living,” he said.

Ibidapo said that while the impact of the initiative might not be so visible in the short-term period, it would surely impact positively on their contributions to the nation-building process in the long run. 
 
The Chairman of Folio Media Group- the organizers, Fidelis Anosike, said the group would use the Miss Nigeria pageant to create a strong female platform.
 
He said the group has signed a partnership deal with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) over the next five years to tackle the scourge of human trafficking.
 
Anosike noted that as part of strategies to empower contestants in the scheme, the group has resolved to give five per cent of its top line revenue to be shared among them, with about N4.1 million to be given this year.
 
Former Governor of Ogun State who also double as former Managing Director of the Daily Times, Aremu Segun Osoba, noted that the Miss Nigeria beauty pageant was part of the history of Nigeria and commended Anosike for keeping the history alive.
 
A former Miss Nigeria (1979), Mrs. Helen Prest, observed that Miss Nigeria was a platform for empowering women, noting that before the advent of social media, Miss Nigeria was the social platform for young women to dream and make their dreams come to realities.
 
She said she was happy that the pageant was being revived by the new management of the Daily Times because it provides opportunities for young girls who are polished, good mannered, well- spoken and poised to attain national recognition by drawing attention to causes and empowerment for women.