FG URGES NIGERIANS TO RALLY BEHIND SOYE AS MISS WORLD VOTING NEARS DEADLINE

The Federal Government has called on Nigerians to throw their support behind Nigeria’s representative at the ongoing Miss World competition, Tamunosoye Karibi-George, popularly known as Soye, as voting enters its final hours.

The appeal was made by the Minister of Art, Culture and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, who urged Nigerians to vote for the Nigerian beauty queen and help her secure more points as the competition progresses. Musawa said Soye’s performance on the international stage had made the country proud and encouraged Nigerians to unite behind her campaign.

The minister particularly highlighted Soye’s success in the Africa Top Model competition, an achievement that automatically secured her a place among the Top 40 contestants at the Miss World festival. Musawa also praised the 26-year-old for using her participation to showcase Nigeria while drawing attention to issues affecting young people.

According to the minister, Soye’s participation represents more than a beauty pageant, as the Nigerian contestant has used the global platform to promote the country’s identity, values and causes that are important to her. Musawa therefore appealed to Nigerians to ensure that the country’s representative receives strong support during the decisive voting period.

With voting approaching its deadline, the minister urged Nigerians to share information about the voting process with friends, family members and other potential supporters. She stressed that every vote and point could become important as contestants compete for advancement and recognition in the later stages of the festival.

Soye earned Nigeria’s place at the global competition after winning the Miss World Nigeria 2026 title at the Balmoral Hall of the Federal Palace Hotel in Lagos. She emerged from a field of 20 finalists to secure the national crown and subsequently travelled to Vietnam to represent the country at the international festival.

The contestant, who hails from Port Harcourt in Rivers State, represented Bayelsa State during the national pageant. Beyond modelling and pageantry, she is a communications professional, an associate of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations and the founder of Beyond Labels, an initiative focused on inclusion and empowerment for children with special needs.

Before securing the Miss World Nigeria crown, Karibi-George won the Miss Africa International title in 2024 in Accra, Ghana. Her subsequent victory as Africa’s Top Model at the ongoing Miss World festival provided another significant milestone in her international pageant journey and automatically placed her in the competition’s Top 40.

Soye has said her participation in the Miss World festival is intended to go beyond competing for the crown. She has presented the opportunity as a platform to promote Nigeria’s culture and values while continuing to champion the Beyond Labels initiative and issues surrounding inclusion.

The Nigerian representative now faces the crucial final stage of the voting process with the Federal Government joining Nigerians and other supporters in mobilising public backing. The government’s intervention reflects the importance being attached to Soye’s performance as she seeks to advance further in the competition and improve Nigeria’s showing at the global pageant.