Beautiful Olamide Aroguma is the current Miss Global Peace Nigeria 2015. She is so passionate about touching lives that she set up an empowerment program on skill acquisition immediately she assumed office. In this interview, she talks about the programme, her modelling career and other issues. Excerpts….
Olamide Aroguma
By JULIET EBIRIM and KEHINDE AJOSE
How did you get to be part of the Miss Global Peace Nigeria pageant?
I saw it online and a friend of mine told me to go for it and I decided to purchase the form.
Have you participated in a beauty pageant before?
Yes, I represented Kaduna State at the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria Pageant in 2011.
When did you start modeling?
I started immediately after MBGN. Before then, I wasn’t into modeling.
So, what gave you the confidence to go for the MBGN contest even though you weren’t yet a model?
Before the MBGN pageant, people used to tell me to go into modeling since I’ve got the looks. So, I decided to give it a shot.
What’s being the Miss Global Peace all about?
The office of the Miss Global Peace 2015 signifies unity and peaceful co-existence. My role as the queen is to ensure peace and unity among communities. People can come to me to render any assistance within my power.
How have you been carrying out your responsibilities?
How have you been carrying out your responsibilities?
I have an empowerment programme on skill acquisition. People come there and we teach them how to design outfits, soaps and other things.
I think other pageants emphasize more on beauty rather than passion. They organise the pageant and it ends there. The queens come on air and talk about their projects, but you don’t see them physically carrying them out. Even if the government is supposed to provide for its citizens, we still have to do something on our own. I’m passionate about touching lives and helping others, that’s why I created the empowerment programme.
Since becoming queen, what has changed about you?
Nothing really, I’m still the same person. It’s just that I go for events and people want to take pictures with me.
Are there times when you just feel like being you without the fame and glamour?
I’m always me. I’m more of an introvert. I spend more of my time with my family and watching movies. When I’m not carrying out my duties as a beauty queen, I stay indoors. I’ve never had many friends and the few friends I have are happy for me.
What are the advantages of being a beauty queen?
People give you audience, they want to listen to what you have to say. Besides, it has opened doors for me in so many ways.
What prices have you paid to get to where you are?
After MBGN, when I started modeling, people would call me for casting. You could go for about five castings in a day and still not get picked. You keep spending your money going from one place to the other to no avail. You get sad and frustrated, but at the end of the day, I think all that has made me who I am now.
Describe your dream man?
There’s no dream man. People just lust over things that are not reasonable. Most times, we end up falling for someone who’s not our dream man. I don’t have a picture in my head, I just believe in wherever love takes me. I can fall in love with anybody as long as he’s Godfearing.
(Cut in) Do you believe in love at first sight?
I actually don’t. I believe we need to take time to know ourselves and then, grow in love instead of falling in love.
Have you ever fallen for someone at first sight?
No, I haven’t. I can see someone for the first time and really admire the person. But fall in love? That’s a big one.
Have you ever had a crush on someone?
When I was younger, I used to have a huge crush on Thierry Henry, the footballer. We are just two girls in my family, which explains why I was the tomboy. I used to watch football a lot with my dad. While watching Thierry Henry play football on TV, I’d tell my dad ‘That’s my future husband!’.
Now that you’re older, who’s your crush?
That would be Prof. Attahiru Jega (Laughs). I love his calmness and the fact that he’s so composed and cool.
