The Nation Newspaper

Tag: QMA

  • Diversification will boost economy – Lai Mohammed

    Diversification will boost economy – Lai Mohammed

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji  Lai Mohammed, has said the nation has gradually commenced the diversification of its economy from oil to creative industry to boost internally generated revenue ( IGR ) and meet international standard.

    Mohammed, represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mrs Grace Gekpe, stated this during the grand finale of Queen Moremi Ajasoro (QMA) beauty pageant at Oriental Hotel in Lagos.

    The event ended in the early hours of Monday.

    The minister said the government was focusing its attention on developing the creative sector as an alternative means of boosting the nation’s economy.

    “The ministry has discovered that the creative industry is an alternative to oil and that is why we are doing a lot to support the sector,” he said

    According to him, the creative industry is an area that opens up employment opportunities for talented youths, thereby, reducing unemployment and possible youthful crimes.

    Mohammed commended Princess Ronke Ademiluyi, the Heritage Ambassador to QMA, for her efforts in promoting culture, and advised other groups to encourage the youths to develop more interest in promoting their cultures.

    “Promoters of our culture and tradition such as Princess Ademiluyi should be encouraged because she is complementing the efforts of the government to ensure that our culture does not go into extinction.

    “Such a cultural pageant as the QMA will also empower young girls not only to learn their traditional language and history, but also make them to be creative and productive,” he said.

    The minister also encouraged more groups in the entertainment industry to key into programmes that would promote Made-in-Nigerian fabrics, foods, dances and local languages which would make the country the world’s tourist attraction.

    The 2017 QMA pageant produced 22 year-old, Oluwatosin Shola-Shittu, an indigene of Ikere Ekiti , Ekiti State as the new queen.

    Shola-Shittu emerged the winner out of no fewer than 500 young girls who registered for the second edition of QMA cultural beauty pageant.

    Shola-Shittu received a cash prize of N5 million, which she was expected to use for investment as part of the empowerment programme of youths initiated by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, the patron of the pageant.

    The new queen was crowned by the outgoing queen, Blessing Animasahun.

    NAN

  • Ego Boyo’s IWS partners House of Oduduwa, QMA to empower women

    The International Women’s Society (IWS), a group of international women founded to work for the advancement of women of all races, and develop the common interests of women, is collaborating with the House of Oduduwa Foundation to host this year’s Queen Móremí Àjàsorò Empowerment and Mentorship programmme during the QMA 2017 Pageant auditions in Ile-Ife. The auditions are slated for October 30 to November 1.

    The inaugural Queen Móremí Àjàsorò Empowerment and Mentorship programme with the Theme “Creating Successful Entrepreneurs in the Business of Empowerment” will feature successful Nigerian female entrepreneurs, who will share their experiences as role models for young women to emulate.

    Discussions at the conference will center on the development and empowerment of the youth; how young women can create sustainable businesses, become job creators and support the development of other women entrepreneurs.

    The QMA International Project is an initiative established to showcase the unrivalled heroism of Queen Móremí, whose exploits and willingness to lay her life for the survival of her people, represents an indelible gesture in altruism and a major part of Yoruba history and culture.

    Some of the projects to mark this year’s event are; the Queen Móremí Àjàsorò cultural pageant, the QMA Empowerment and Mentorship Programme, the QMA Awards and the QMA ‘Móremí The Musical’, which debuts this year.

    The collaboration with IWS is coming a few days after the announcement of popular Yoruba actor, Odunlade Adekola, as one of the distinguished celebrity judges for the QMA 2017 Pageant auditions, which will take place from Monday, 30th October to Wednesday, 1st November 2017, at the King’s Palace, Enuwa, Ile Ife, Osun State, with the grand finale holding at the Oriental Hotel, Lagos, on the 3rd December 2017.

    The President, International Women’s Society, Nigeria, Nwakaego Boyo, declared that “The International Women’s society Nigeria is proud to partner with the Queen Moremi Ajasoro empowerment and mentorship campaign, which is part of this year’s cultural pageant”. She expressed her delight about the partnership. She also assured that her organization will keep working with partners who share similar ideals on the need to be good role models for young girls and women.

    According to her, “We have for sixty years, achieved this in our structured and focused society which continues to impact the lives of many, and will continue to work with partners who share similar ideals, to be good role models for young girls and women, and to ensure they have all the opportunities needed to achieve their goals and realize their full potential.”

     

  • Nigerian fashion designers to kit 2017 Queen Moremi

    Nigerian fashion designers to kit 2017 Queen Moremi

    A veteran fashion designer in London, Mary Martin, will join eight Nigerian fashion designers to kit the 2017 Queen Moremi Ajasoro (QMA) cultural pageant in Nigeria,  Princess Ronke Ademiluyi has said.

    Ademiluyi, ambassador to QMA and founder of Africa Fashion Week, Nigeria and London spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the upcoming Miss Moremi Ajasoro Cultural Pageant in December.

    The cultural promoter said that the fashion labels featured  at the African Fashion Week held in  London in August.

    They are Becca Apparel, Godwin Green, Luvita Creations, BgCouture, Moshuga, Stiches, Blingshiki and Mary Martin London.

    “These fashion labels will be creating several looks and outfits for the 35 lucky girls who will be shortlisted out of over 500 registered contestants in QMA Pageant in December,” she said.

    According to the global ambassador for the project, the designers will tap into the cultural trends of the Yoruba heritage to create contemporary styles for the contestants.

    “The veteran London fashion label, Mary Martin, will be one of the designers that will be showcasing their designs by kitting the contestants in an African style.

    “Mary Martin of duo origin, Nigerian and Caribbean, who studied fashion in London, also featured in 2015 Mercedes Benz International Fashion Week in Accra, Ghana, and  honoured the best designer in Africa will be there too.’’

    She said that “Becca Apparel” though an upcoming Nigerian designer, also a London-based fashion label, focused on combining African prints with contemporary trends to create a unique style for women.

    ”The other Nigerian designers include, Blingshiki, unconventional fashion, hippie, futuristic and Africa-inspired label, Godwin Green Couture, Lagos based, and STITCHES, a unique peculiarity with an unequalled vibe, zeal and passion.

    “Others are BG Couture, exclusively for men and woman in quintessentially Nigerian look, MOSHUGAH, specialised in women’s wears, Luvita Creations, combines African prints and western fabrics for men and women,” she told NAN.

    Ademiluyi, who is also a lawyer, noted that all the selected designers were known for their unique styles, tailored toward promoting African fabrics and designs.

    “The QMA Pageant was designed not only to promote beauty and culture but also to empower young ladies between the ages of 18 and 25,” she said.

    Meanwhile, Ademiluyi said that the outgoing queen, Animasahun Blessing, a final year student of the Department of Dental Surgery, University of Ibadan, from Ila-Orangun, Osun state had visited over 10 schools during her reign.

    “Animasahun has been involved in a lot of activities during her tenure which include visits to motherless homes, health awareness, secondary schools outreach and enlightenment on careers, skill acquisitions and on rape.

    “She also visited the UK to promote our culture and tradition and is currently working on visit to handicapped schools and supporting their basic needs in giving back to the society.

    “She will be launching Child Alive Foundation, which will involve empowering children from ages zero to 18,  renovating schools, encourage girl child education and to bring out the talents embedded in them,” she said.

  • Handsome prizes await QMA contestants

    With preparations for this year’s edition of Queen Moremi Ajasoro (QMA) beauty pageant in full swing, organisers of the yearly event have promised mouth-watering prizes for the winner and the runners up.

    Scheduled to hold in November in Lagos, winner of the second edition of the pageant will cart home a brand new car from one of the sponsors of the event and a N5 million investment fund as organisers plan to formally launch QMA Impact Investment Fund as part of the project.

    In addition, the organisers said that the new queen automatically becomes the Cultural Ambassador to the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II, who is the grand patron of the House of Oduduwa and promoter of the beauty pageant. With this, she will enjoy the privilege of accompanying the royal father to many of his engagements while expected to model the highest queenly characters that Queen Moremi Ajasoro were known for.

    Also, the queen will be styled through her one year reign by the headline designers, make up artists, and stylists of the beauty pageant, which include Mon’ Ami (Larry Kay Ojomo of Mon’ Ami Clothing), whose first set of collections for the event was showcased on London runway during the recently held Africa Fashion Week London.

    Speaking on this development, the Heritage Ambassador of Queen Moremi Ajasoro Legacy, Princess Ronke Ademiluyi, said it is a sign that the event would live to its billing as a super beauty pageant different from others because of the royal and cultural spin to it. Ademiluyi, who is also the founder of Africa Fashion Week Nigeria and London, disclosed that more prizes are expected as a number of the sponsors and partners are yet to come up with their promised packages.

    Queen Moremi Ajasoro (QMA) beauty pageant is part of effort of the Ooni of Ife to preserve and promote the legacies of the Ife queen as well as create role models and empower young Nigerian ladies to be productive and contribute meaningful to Nigeria and the globe.