Lockdown: Organisers extend entry dates for Mr and Miss Nigeria pageants

Brendance and Crusader (BC) organisers of Mr and Miss Nigeria International (MMNI) and Mr and Miss International Africa (MMIA) pageants, says it has  altered its schedule due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

Brendan Isikak, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of BC, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Lagos that the closure date for the contests tagged ‘The Rebirth Edition’ had been extended from April 30 to May 15.

Isikak said the MMNI which had Denis Idara and Peter Abah as 2019/2020 winners and was restricted to Nigeria’s young males and females, while the MMIA was extended to African countries.

He said the adjustment was necessary as countries were more focused on measures to curb and bring to an end, the Coronavirus pandemic otherwise known as  COVID-19.

“We are following the Coronavirus pandemic developments which is affecting every sector, it is on that note that we decided to push registration date of the MMNI and MMIA forward  by two weeks.

“It is most important for everyone to stay safe by observing the lockdown as directed by the government and other precautionary measures by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on COVID-19, ” he said.

According to him, the national audition for MMNI will be held subject to end of the lockdown, while the MMIA will follow suit to identify qualified contestants for the grand finale in October.

“The MMNI pageant will look out for males and females with high level of intelligence, good command of English language, boldness, career-minded and ability to execute projects,” he added.

Meanwhile, Isikak said that 10 countries had registered for the pageant, adding that the current MMNI had equally completed individual compulsory projects and confirmed their participation in the MMAI contest.

He gave the names of the registered countries for the MMAI pageant event as Nigeria, Togo, Ghana, Kenya, Benin Republic, Uganda, Ivory coast, Zambia, Kenya and Gambia. (NAN)