The Miss Nigeria 1957 Organisation has congratulated the first Miss Nigeria, Chief Grace Atinuke Oyelude, on her 93rd birthday on Thursday, November 16, 2023.
In a statement, the chairman of Miss Nigeria 1957, Rita Dominic joined family members, friends and professional colleagues in celebrating the nonagenarian.
“We are immensely delighted to celebrate the evergreen beauty and brave leader, Chief Grace Atinuke Oyelude, on the occasion of her 93rdbirthday. Her courage, resolve and great strength of character are excellent qualities that have endeared her to us and many others,” she stated.
Dominic emphasized Oyelude’s trail-blazing effort of inspiring young girls and women of all ages to achieve their dreams, particularly her ability to leverage the Miss Nigeria platform to make meaningful contributions to her country and humanity in general.
Also speaking, Mr. Fidelis Anosike whose Folio Communications owns Miss Nigeria 1957, said, “Chief Mrs. Grace Oyelude is a mother par excellence and a trailblazer for women empowerment.”
Grace Oyelude was born on November 16, 1931 in Sabon Gari, Kano to James and Martha Oyelude. She won the maiden edition of Miss Nigeria in 1957.
Oyelude contested with over 200 other Nigerian ladies and emerged the winner, and would later use part of her 200 pounds prize money to travel to England where she studied Nursing. She worked briefly in England before returning to Nigeria to serve in various capacities.
While wishing Oyelude sound health and all round wellness, the Miss Nigeria 1957 chairman thanked God for the grace that has taken her to the age of 93, and prayed the Almighty God to grant her the strength to continue to serve humanity.
After about 16 years of organizing the pageant to international acclaim, the founder and chairman of Folio Communications, Fidelis Anosike, recently transferred the responsibility of producing and organizing the Miss Nigeria Pageant to The Audrey Silva Company (TASC), owned by his wife, Rita Dominic and renowned film director, Mildred Okwo.
Meanwhile, TASC would soon announce the call for entries for the Miss Nigeria pageant, which will hold in the first quarter of 2024.