Singing sensation, Gift Eke popularly known as Muma Gee gained more recognition when the wife of Imo State governor, Mrs. Nneoma Nkechi Rochas Okorocha, crowned her as Mrs Ngor-Okpala. It was at a beauty contest organized with the objective of reaching out to the grassroots.
Held in all the Local Government Areas of the state, the beauty contest came with series of activities such as exhibition of farm produce, cultural match past, three-legged bag racing, and cooking competition all geared towards the reappraisal of womanhood. Muma Gee had represented Umuhu Community and competed against 28 other women who represented their autonomous communities. The Kade singer, an indigene of Rivers State became eligible for the beauty pageant by virtue of her marriage to a son of the soil, Prince Eke.
Speaking about the event, Muma Gee said: “I was amused when the Ada Umuhu Chidimma called me on phone to convey the decision of the people of Umuhu to me, that they wanted me to represent them in the contest. I quickly pulled myself together not to give an irrational answer to the clarion call, until I heard the voice of the women leader, Mrs. Florence. I asked them to give me time to consult with and get clearance from my husband, Prince Eke. He did chat with them on phone where he gave his consent and finally took me to the village a few times to join the women in preparation.”
The artiste cleared the air about her eligibility to contest in the pageant. “True, I am a Rivers State-born, an Ekpeye indigene, but I am married to an illustrious son of Umuhu autonomous community in Ngor-Okpala LGA in Imo State. As you know in Igboland, August meeting is not about the land of your birth but of your matrimony. So, I have a very strong root in the culture of the place I am married to as a Dom Umuta and Dom Umuhu respectively,” she said.
Avowing that the pageant was no less rigorous than the regular beauty contest, Muma Gee spotlighted some important aspects of the process. “All the contestants were given orientation by the judges and organizers (the First Lady’s team). We were also counseled by some elder statesmen and women before I won and was crowned as Mrs. Ngor-Okpala, on August 1, 2013,” she stated.
The musician particularly dwelt on central part of the contest: “Being the first of its kind, it is not the usual beauty contest. We were instructed to dress in the full regalia of the typical Igbo woman, which comprises of head tie, blouse and double wrappers, without any makeup. We were then given five minutes to tie our headgear and do our makeup; the test was to see the quickest to finish and the contestant with the best finishing touch. You can imagine tying head tie without a mirror in front of you.”
Expatiating further Muma Gee said. “Another test was how you carry yourself under that pressure and still maintain your smile and beauty. Then finally the questioning stage on current affairs and the culture of the people of Imo State, afterwards, we showcased our talents. And all (my efforts) timely and on point, plus God’s grace, I emerged Mrs. Ngor-Okpala.”
The talented musician further explained why she considered her winning the pageant one of the most significant honours of her life. “It is indeed a historic and significant honour for me,” she affirmed, “It is different from the many awards and honour I have bagged in the past especially for the fact that I earned it out of a beauty contest which I never thought I will ever get into in my lifetime considering my career and my present status as a married woman, but fate played a good one on me.”
The delectable singer gave a hint of what she considered the duty call of Mrs Ngor Okpala. “I see it as a civic responsibility and a sort of giving back to the society which to me means representing the people, serving the people and impacting positively in the lives of the people with focus on rural and community development in Ngor-Okpala,” she noted.
For Muma Gee, the big picture is to serve humanity by reaching out to the girl child. “I will unveil my work plan fully after the grand finale which is the Mrs Imo Beauty Contest where all the Mrs Local Government Areas in Imo State, including me, will contest and the winner be crowned Mrs Imo. My mission and vision as Mrs Ngor-Okpala 2013 is to leave a legacy with a positive imprint and also diligently put my special passion to the service of humanity especially in the rural areas with intense focus on the girl child, women (especially widows) geared towards community development and work to encourage a peaceful coexistence amongst the people,” she concluded.
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