By Nelson NseAbasi
When Miss Deborah Innocent Otung joined other damsels for the maiden edition of the Miss Akwa Ibom Fashion Beauty Pageant held on the 22nd of December 2023, little did she know that she was about to flip open a new chapter of her life.
The day, will not just be a memorable one for her, just like other contestants, it will be the same for the progenitor; Princess Hilda who happens to be the brain behind the project, as the day coincides with her birthday.
Unlike every other day in the 32-day event calendar at the Ibom Christmas Park, the Miss Akwa Ibom Fashion Beauty Pageant witnessed a unique display of poise, elegance and class amongst young Akwa Ibom girls contesting for the crown. It was a spectacle to behold as the guests were held spellbound by the magnificent showcase of beauty and talents.
Queen Deborah Innocent Otung, born 24 years ago to the family of Mr and Mrs Innocent Otung Akpan of Uyo-afaha Nkan Village, Ikono Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, beat other contestants to cart home the crown and prestigious title of the pioneer Miss Akwa Ibom Fashion at the well-attended event.
She represented the people of Uruan Local Government Area in the competition, as she showcased the fashion and culture of the Uruan people of Akwa Ibom State in accordance with the theme, “Fashion: The Essence of Our Existence”.
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To those who witnessed the historic occasion, there is no gainsaying in the fact that Queen Deborah is an embodiment of African beauty, intelligence, elegance, poise and charisma. In other words, she is not just beautiful, but also intellectually endowed, a trait that is rare and little wonder Deborah is loved and pampered by her parents and the rest of the family members.
Queen Deborah Innocent Otung is currently studying Medicine and Surgery at the University of Uyo. She was a pupil of Auntie Olu Nursery & Primary School, Lagos and had a Senior Secondary School Certificate at Wills Comprehensive Secondary School, Eket in 2014. In her early sojourn into pageantry, she emerged as Miss University of Uyo Medical Students Association (Miss UUMSA) and Queen of Tuskers Republic (Miss UNIUYO).
Multitalented Deborah is not just a Medical Doctor-in-waiting but a Beauty Queen, Social Media Manager, Sales Expert, Customer Relations Expert and Voice-Over Artiste. She exhibits a kind of simplicity that is uncommon, she is very resilient, a risk taker, proactive, unassuming, dedicated to the things she believes in and performs all tasks with optimum diligence, these qualities and many more stand her out amongst her peers.
As Miss UUMSA she organised a free Medical Outreach Programme for the aged people in Abak local government area, where citizens had a good opportunity of free medical checkups. She also organized a “Keep UNIUYO Clean” programme – a programme initiated to keep clean all the campuses of the University of Uyo. Of course, there is no doubt that she will do a lot more as Miss Akwa Ibom Fashion.
Philkon Empire, the organisers of the Miss Akwa Ibom Fashion pageant, have been the host of the Miss Style Nigeria Pageant for 3 years, besides their achievements in Nollywood movie production, PHILKON Studios and the events management arm, the company has continually increased their investments in the Akwa Ibom state entertainment industry by developing new brands to further create a platform for talents in the state.
When asked about the plans for the new queen, the progenitor, Princess Hilda confessed that she is out to set and maintain a standard of quality and fair play in the process of emergence of beauty queens. She thanked the Akwa Ibom state government for partnership through the Ministry of Culture & Tourism led by Sir Charles Udoh, who has also pledged his support to join her in giving Queen Deborah wings to fly and pursue and dreams as a role model to other Akwa Ibom young women.
The best is yet to be seen and heard of the newly crowned queen of fashion in Akwa Ibom state, Miss Deborah Otung, as the brand begins the process of unveiling initiatives from their stables in 2024.