By NewsCritic Reporter
The reigning Most Beautiful Girl in Imo State and Top Model, Olivia Oguguo also known as Favour has advocated for the education of the Girl Child as the pathway to sustainable economic development. She also said that the society should be held responsible for making life difficult for the girl child.
Miss Oguguo insisted that the society has made life to be very difficult for the girl child, a development that has led many girls into temptations thereby exposing them to avoidable danger. She disclosed that many young girls are allowed by parents to fend for themselves or at best she is married off at early age without training her in school.
She said no adequate provisions have been made for the education of the girl child and to secure her future, adding that the girl child needs to be protected and secured in life. She pointed out that often times tradition makes it difficult for parents to carter for the girl child, a situation that has made the girl child vulnerable in the society.
The beauty queen told journalists in Umuahia that her Pet project as the reigning beauty queen will seek to advocate for the education of the girl child, to know her rights and to be focused in order to live a better life, instead of her to rely on men for survival. Olivia stressed that her experience in life as a girl child motivated her to champion for the rights of the girl child, saying that some young girls are out there on the streets suffering to make a living without any support from their parents or guardians.
She advised young girls not to hide under the excuse that they have no one to train them to start misbehaving and selling their bodies to strangers, adding that if the girl child is properly trained she is capable of achieving her goals in life without risking her life.
Said the beauty queen “my pet project is centred on the education of the girl child as the pathway to sustainable economic development. As a girl child the project is inspired by my life experience growing up, because I had a lot to do for myself without support in that sense. Some of the young girls are out there on the streets suffering to make a living, and some of the young girls just lack focus. They don’t have any one to advise them on the right path to choose in life, and if they have I’m sure they are capable of achieving their goals in life, she reasoned.
Continuing Olivia said “my pet project is about the importance of educating the girl child to let her know that she can achieve anything that she desires in life. To teach them to have self-confidence and not to say that because there is no one to train her in school, she uses that as an excuse to start misbehaving and to jump from one man to the another thereby endangering her life in the process, she notes.
She explained that as a growing up girl she had to go into online business also known as networking to earn extra money for herself, while advising the young girls to try and acquire a skill to be self-reliant.
Read Full Interview
Q: Can we meet you?
A: My name is Olivia Oguguo, also known as Favour. I’m from Imo State and I school and reside in Umuahia.
Q: We understand you are a beauty queen, having contested and won a beauty pageant. So, how does it feel?
A: It is quite an exciting experience which I will live never to forget. I have always aspired to be a model and I felt the beauty pageant is going to be the best way through which to realise that age long dream. And I was lucky as I emerged as the top model and most Beautiful Girl in Imo State 2019, so I’m grateful for it.
Q: What motivated you to aspire to be a model and beauty queen when there are other vocations you could have gone into?
A: I will say that I’m passionate about modelling, it has been part of me, so much that while growing up as a teenager a lot of people encouraged me to be a model, and I end up seeing myself doing all those things that have to do with modelling. Again, it is my desire to reach out to the young girls out there in the society and I need a platform that will enable me drive that project.
Q: Some people might be tempted to believe that some ladies go into modelling because of the huge financial returns it can offer, is it one of the reasons you decided to go into that line of business?
A: Like I said it is just about passion for the job.
Q: Have you signed any modelling contract yet?
A: After being crowned as the Beauty Queen I have to attend a programme at modelling academy to prepare myself for the job, after which I will look for any commercial contract.
Q: Who are your role models in life?
A: I have Naomi Campell and Oluchi Onwuagba and I follow them on social media. So, I like the way they do things, they are passionate about it.
Q: Do you have any Pet Project that you want to champion?
A: Yes, my pet project is centred on the education of the girl child as the pathway to sustainable economic development. As a girl child the project is inspired by my life experience growing up, because I had a lot to do for myself to make ends meet without any support in that sense. Some of the young girls are out there on the streets suffering to make a living out of nothing, and some of the young girls just lack focus. They don’t have any one to advise them on the path to choose, and if they have I’m sure they are capable of achieving their goals in life.
So, my project is about educating the girl child to know her rights and to let her know that she can achieve anything that she desires in life without risking her life. To teach them to have self-confidence and not that because there is no one to train you in school, you use that as an excuse to start jumping from one man to the another thereby endangering your life in the process.
As a growing up girl I had to go into online business also known as networking to help myself and by God’s grace I here today. So, it is about helping the girl child to be focused in life, to achieve her dreams with or without assistance.
Q: Apart from advocacy are there other practical steps you wish to take to advance the course of the girl child?
A: In the near future I have the plans to empower the girl child…presently I will be in partnership with some bodies to teach them skills like cloth making, Hair dressing, make over etc to help equip them.
Q: Do you have anything to tell the ladies who are out there trying to live on men without plan for the future?
A: That is the problem we are having today because the girls think it is only through men they can survive by going out with any stranger. Sometimes, I don’t blame them.
Q: …And who do you blame?
A: I blame the society because the society has made life to be difficult for the girl child. No adequate provision has been made for her future. They need to be protected and secured, often tradition makes it difficult for parents to carter for the girl child. So, you are asked to go and fend for yourself or at best marry her off at a tender age. My project is to help them to know there are better ways to have a better life instead of relying on men.
So the girl child has all that it takes to be at leadership position today, first they should be able to know their rights. While growing up I used to watch Dora Akinyili (may her soul rest in peace) speak, she used to be authoritative and no one can take that away from her. That is the way the girl child ought to assume leadership role in the society and have the I can do it spirit ingrained in her without fear.
Q: The Girl Child is by nature emotional, how do you handle this as well as monitoring and evaluating the impact of the project?
A: I have created a social media group, so when the project kicks off formally I will be connecting with them on the various platforms. Also, I will engage them in conferences, seminars etc, interacting with them frequently to know areas they are having challenges. That way I can monitor them.
Q: Are you really going to stand up for the girl child and not to back down at some point, so what is it that you are going to do differently?
A: Why mine is going to be different is because I passed through the life with first-hand experience. So I know where the shoe pinches. I will let them to understand that they are not alone.
Q: Are you in any relationship presently?
A: Actually, no.
Q: Why?
A: Just nothing…only that my ex-boyfriend is a white guy and he travelled so I chose to remain…I’m actually not interested.
Q: Do you have preference for whites…
A: No no no…I can actually get love from anywhere. Just that I’m not thinking of it now.
Q: If Mr right comes now will you marry?
A: Yes, I will…
Q: What kind of man would you wish to marry?
A: I will marry someone that really loves me and I love too. I can’t marry someone who I don’t love. For me you have to be perfect, I must see something I admire in you, though I know there is no perfection.