The Organizers of Most Beautiful Deaf Girl In Nigeria (MBDGN) in preparation to 2022 and 2nd Edition of the Beauty Pageant on Wednesday in Abuja paid a courtesy visit to Abuja Office of Centre For Citizens With Disabilities (CCD).
The Coordinator of MBDGN, Janet Fasakin who is the leader of the group while expressing her gratitude to the Executive Director, CCD for granting them audience, Mr. David Anyaele who was represented by the program officer, CCD, Mr. Humphrey Ukeaja that MBDGN was conceived 8 years ago in the mind of Dr. Tolu Oko-Igiare, the provost of Institute of Counselling in Nigeria. She got it registered with CAC along some Deaf Personalities in the spirit of Nothing About Us Without Us. Like a tiny Arcon seed, it has metamorphoses into a giant oak tree.
“After the period of gestation common to all great and transformative ideas, the vision is set to bear fruit through the effort of Queen Janet Fasakin and other strong Deaf Activists who ensure the vision continues to move on for the benefits of Deaf Women and Girls”.
She informed that the beauty pageant is important because it brings Deaf women and girls to the limelight, promote their rights using fashion, beauty and glamour. It is an avenue to promote and advocate on the following areas; Linguistic and Cultural Rights, Deaf culture, Equal access to education, Access to healthcare services, Political Inclusion, and Economic Inclusion.
Queen Janet while giving a brief history of MBDGN said that the Ist and Maiden edition was held in Lagos where Queen Maria Okese emerged winner. She is now playing host of this 2nd edition in Abuja in August, 2022.
On this ground, the group seek collaboration with the CCD to ensure that their aims see the light of the day.
Janet on the behalf of MBDGN expressed their profound gratitude once again to the CCD for the great work they are doing in the disability community especially in the area of women and girls’ rights, sign language literacy, and the general redefining of the word disability.
She also said that they also seek collaboration and partnership to participate in the World Deaf Pageant (Miss and Mr Deaf World & Miss and Mr. Deaf International) which have been going on around the world for twenty-two years but Nigeria has never participated.
She informed that they have been invited to the World Pageant that will take place in Tanzania by October this year.
“We are very hopeful to be present and bring the Crown Home and fly the Nigeria flag High”.
The group called for the support of CCD and other well-meaning Nigeria to help them actualize their much -needed and highly desired dream which will be impossible to achieve without support.
Mr. Humphrey Ukeaja in his response thanked the group for the wonderful initiative saying that CCD strongly believe in ability in disability which led to CCD being at the forefront during the struggle for the signing of disability act, which guaranteed PWDs access to health, education, etc which CCD continue to advocate to ensure inclusion of PWDs in all sector of life.
CCD is interested in anything that promotes persons with disabilities. He assured the group that they will look into their request and make recommendations to the Executive Director and see areas of collaboration and reach out to the group.
Speaking further, he informed that CCD is training sign language interpreters on political inclusion to ensure participation of Deaf people in elections. He then called on Deaf People to come out and vote in the coming elections.
