Sun Girl Contest Winner Receives Chevrolet Car Newspaper Unveils The Sun Beauty Pageant

Winner of the Sun Girl photo contest, Miss O n y e k a c h i Obioma Atuloma, yesterday shed tears of joy, as she re­ceived the star prize, a Chev­rolet Sedan.

Atuloma, a graduate of Public Administration, had re­ceived the highest votes from readers to emerge winner of the contest organised by The Sun Publishing Limited, as part of the Page 3 Sun Girl makeover. In the contest, which started in August 2013, monthly win­ners had emerged, based on votes cast by readers. Out of the 12 monthly winners, Atu­loma, who had won the April 2014 edition, scored the high­est votes to emerge the overall winner.
Speaking during the prize presentation at the corporate headquarters in Lagos, Man­aging Director of The Sun Publishing Limited, Mr. Femi Adesina, said: “Today marks the climax of the photo beauty pageant instituted in August last year. This event would definitely make history in the annals of The Sun Page 3 Girl concept.
“You will agree with me that the Sun Girl Page has come a long way. Barely a year after its introduction, the page gained prominence and became an iconic part of The Sun News­papers.”
While receiving the keys to her new car, Atuloma, who was accompanied by her mother and other family members, broke down in tears as she said: “I never believed that I could win. In fact, I fainted when I got the call that I had emerged winner of the contest. I want to use this opportunity to thank The Sun manage­ment and CFAO Motors for this great gesture. I also want to thank God for making this possible.”
Speaking at the event, Mr. Amal K. Paliwal, an official of CFAO Motors, which donated the star prize, said: “We are happy to partner The Sun for this historic event. The Sun is a premium brand and at Chevro­let, empowering young people is part of our core values and that is the reason we believe in partnering vibrant platforms like The Sun.”
Instituted in August 2013, the Page 3 Sun Girl concept was redefined to depict The Sun Girl as one with intel­ligence, unique looks, good and respectable dress sense, likeable personality and great photogenic pose.
Commenting on how the winner emerged, Uche Atuma, The Sun Webmaster, said the collation of votes through SMS was in partnership with Mtech Communications, the intermediaries between The Sun and the networks, adding: “The voting process was trans­parent and the results were automatically generated on the Mtech Communications server platform.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Adesina used the opportunity of the star prize presentation to unveil The Sun Girl Beauty Pageant slated to commence in the first quarter of 2015. He stated that the national competition was designed to promote the true Nigerian damsel and the coun­try’s culture, tourism and life­style to the world.
The contest, according to Adesina, is open to Nigerians between the ages of 18 and 26. He said shortlisted 36 Nigerian girls, representing the various states, would slug it out at the regional level. The winners from the regional contests will then participate in the grand finale.
Delivering the vote of thanks, Mrs. Funke Egbe­mode, General Editor, The Sun, thanked everyone who graced the event and described the ceremony as ushering in a new era for The Sun Page 3 Girl.
Also present at the ceremo­ny were The Sun Executive Director (Corporate Services), Mr. Steve Nwosu; Mr. Bo­laji Tunji, Executive Director, Special Duties; Mr. Onuoha Ukeh, Editor, Daily Sun; Mr. Obioma Ogukwe, General Manager (Finance); Mrs. Oge­chi Uche, General Manager (Human Resources/Admin); Mrs. Neta Nwosu, General Manager, Corporate Services; Mr. Johnson Ogwumike, Se­nior Manager, Internal Audit; and Mr. Obinna Kalu, General Counsel.