Miss FCT, Queen Sarah Okli, has emerged winner of the 2025 Face of Tourism beauty pageant.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Okli edged out 10 other contestants to clinched the highly coveted crown at the grand finale of the competition on Saturday in Abuja.
The event, which held on Saturday night at the Armed Forces Officers Mess, Lungi Barracks in Abuja, had contestants drawn from different states.
The first runner-up, Miss Kaduna, Queen Theresa Jonathan, was crowned Miss Tradition 2025, and the second runner-up, Miss Enugu, Queen Laura Eze was crowned Face of Tourism Ambassador 2025.
Miss Akwa Ibom, Queen Anita Emmanuel was crowned, the Face of Tourism North 2025.
It was a night of glitz and glamour as stakeholders in the culture and tourism sector showbiz entrepreneurs and heads corporate bodies gathered for the tourism fiesta.
In her address, Jane Ochanya, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of “Free Image Humanitarian Foundation (FIHF), organisers of the annual pageant, congratulated the new tourism queen for the feat.
She urged the new queen to effectively use her reign to promote Nigeria’s rich tourism potential, especially in job creation and its contribution to the nation’s GDP
According to her, the event is aimed at promoting Nigeria’s rich tourism sector and to draw attention of relevant stakeholders, especially the federal government to the importance of tourism to national economy.
She said as Nigeria seeks the diversification of its economic mainstay, the tourism and creative sectors were veritable alternatives if given proper attention.
She called on government at all levels to ensure more funding for the tourism sector in line with the President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Ochanya, once winner of a beauty pageant, said her interest in organising the pageant was to give positive direction and exposure to youths, particularly girls.
“We need to assure them that they can be successful in a positive way rather than venturing into prostitution, drugs and other social vices.
“The Face of Tourism beauty pageant, amongst other things, is focused at creating awareness on the economic potentials of the tourism industry.
“This is very important, especially in terms of job creation for the teeming idle Nigerian youths, and as well serve as a catalyst for economic growth and development of the country”, she said.
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