Nigeria’s a beautiful country – Miss Tourism 2015

By Emeka Anokwuru
The greatest challenge facing tourism in Nigeria is how to
generate inbound traffic to the various endowments that
abound. This is the area that Ifeoma Anya, Miss Tourism
2015 feels challenged about and as the reigning queen, she
plans to deploy everything at her disposal to market these
unique sites to the world. In this interview, Anya highlights
some of the steps she would take to encourage tourists and
visitors to come and explore what she called ‘the most
beautiful country in West Africa’. Excerpts…
WHAT inspired you to contest Miss Tourism?
The thing is that I love traveling, I like visiting new places
and seeing new things. While I was in London, during one
such trip, I toured the city and I visited some other
countries like the United Arab Emirates, Portugal, Morocco
(Casablanca) and Italy where I saw beautiful things.
Everything about them, their tourism centres and
attractions are lovely and mind blowing. I said to myself
we can actually have things like that here, we can have a
pageant here, there should be a pageant in Nigeria like
Miss Tourism that can help promote tourism in the
country. I asked my friends about it and they told me
there’s something like that so when I came back I decided
to contest for this because I wanted to do something for
tourism here in Nigeria.
What were the qualities that enhanced your performance?
How did you edge out others?
I’d say my composure, the way I answered questions and
my charisma, all these actually brought me out and took
me away from other contestants.
What level of encouragement did you get from your
parents during your preparations?
My parents have been very supportive. God blessed me
with understanding parents. They told me whatever I want
to do in life; they’d be behind me so I got a hundred
percent support from my family, especially my brother.
Now you have been crowned, what do you intend to do
during your reign?
I’d like to go to some rural communities in Nigeria and
donate boreholes because there are some communities in
Abuja, most especially away from the big city that do not
have water or light, no amenities. I’d like to donate
boreholes, and also renovate bus stops. We have bus
stops in Nigeria but people don’t really know them. All
they do is just come somewhere and stand. I want to
make something fanciful, recreate something beautiful for
the bus stops where people can come, sit down, and read,
while waiting for the bus. I love kids. I won’t say I just
want to go to the orphanage home and visit only, no, I
want to go there, take them out, show them some lovely
tourism centres in Lagos. For instance we have La
Campagne Tropicana Resort, Ikegun. It is a beautiful
place. I’d take the kids and let them feel life there and
show them a new life, that place is great. Let them know
actually that Nigeria is a beautiful nation. We are working
towards all these in partnership with the government.
What’s your pet project as Miss Tourism? Is it only
designating bus stops?
Not at all. My core pet project is about promoting tourism
in Nigeria through entertainment, culture (as a way of life)
dressing, food, anything that has to do with tourism
promotion I would come in, in festivals, pushing it out
through the social media, print and electronic, everywhere
somehow.
How do you intend to generate funds for your project?
I’m looking at working with top dignitaries in Nigeria and
also the government. I pray and hope they will support me
because this project is not about me at all; it is about the
whole country.
What are the challenges you envisage during your reign?
The mistake people make about all the pageant is that
they think you have to be skinny, very thin before you can
be a queen. When people see me, they say oh, she’s fat,
she’s so this and that. That is one of the challenges. I just
want people to know that my crown has a purpose, and I
have to fulfill it. I did not come out to show my pretty face
or tell them I’m fat or big, I’m actually a queen that has
something to do for Nigeria. I just want people to know
my story. A lot of young, upcoming models have
approached me. They tell me you are big how did you
manage that? Right now they are taking drugs to slim
down, or be lean by jogging to stay trim and fit. No. I told
them that is not the way forward. They should be
confident and proud of themselves and come out and do
what they have to do.
Before you became Miss Tourism, you had friends. How
do you cope with them now?
I still have my friends around, though I have met new
people and new lovely girls, all beauty queens. I still have
my old friends around. You need friends in your life. You
can still use their advice, good or bad to work on yourself.
So I try my best to listen to everybody, I don’t push
anybody. Even now I am Miss Tourism, I like working with
people. When different people come together, they
generate new ideas so I still have them around.
What else inspires you, what else do you want to do?
I see myself as an entrepreneur. I’m an all-rounder. I am
young; I try really hard to do a lot of things. Generally, I
love working and apart from working as a shipping
operator, I also have passion for acting. Very soon, and by
God’s grace, I will get into Nollywood and if possible
Hollywood just to showcase my talent, I’m very good at
that.
So, what would you describe as your memorable
moments?
I have a lot. I’d say the most memorable was when I won
Miss Igbinedion University pageant. My first pageant was
Miss Ebonyi, I was first runner up in 2008, when I got into
school, I was in my 100 level in the university, I contested
with final year students, so I never expected I was going to
win in any way, I went there to have fun because I love
pageantry so when they declared me as winner, it was the
shock of my life. I didn’t even tell my parents, you know as
a young girl getting into school, you need to focus and
bring your head down for academics, but you went to
contest, so I was scared to tell them but when they
announced me the winner, I was shocked but very happy.
Before this time, as a young girl, who would you say has
been your role model?
Oprah Winfrey is my model, because I see her as a leader.
She is really a strong woman, she is mother to a lot young
girls in every part of the world, and so I look up to her. I
love her so much. I see her as a strong entrepreneur, she
knows what she is doing, and she knows how to carry
people along as a leader.
Apart from Oprah Winfrey, what about the local scene in
Nigeria where you reign?
I’d say my mother. It’s not been a smooth ride all the
while, because I’m the only girl. Some other parents would
expect their daughter to go and read medicine or do other
things, but she has been behind, everything I asked she
has been able to provide. She is my local role model.
What advice do you have for those who aspire to be like
you?
I’d say to them, don’t give up on your dreams. We are the
youth, we have a lot of ideas, a lot of talents and
potentials to show to the world but a lot of us are scared
of what people would say outside, as a guy, you know you
are good with your legs, you can play football, when you
say because your father will beat you or lock you up
because he wants you to read law or medicine, or
something else, stand your ground. Chase your dreams;
stand for your dreams because there is nothing like doing
what you love. It’s what you love that would make you
successful. You don’t have to lock up yourself in the office,
with a tie and suite just because you want your parents to
see you as “cut out for the office”, focus on your passion,
and chase your dreams. Don’t give up. I’m thinking of
organizing a conference soon to talk about ‘Giving up on
Dreams’. Fear is one of the greatest enemies in life.