Agbani Darego
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Born Ibiagbanidokibubo Asenite Darego, and affectionately known as "Agbani," she was given the title of Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria in 2001.
While a first-year student of the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria (where she majored in Computer Science), she represented Nigeria in the 2001 Miss Universe competition, held in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. She placed among the top 10 semi-finalists, finishing at seventh.
Usually, the winner of the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria competition represents the country at the Miss Universe, and the winner of the Miss Nigeria competition represents Nigeria at the Miss World, but due to a controversy that year involving the Miss Nigeria winner's academic qualifications and age, Agbani was chosen to replace her at the Miss World contest.
She won the title of Miss World 2001 held in South Africa. This made her the first-ever black African winner of the title. The show was hosted by US talk show host Jerry Springer, and her victory was widely welcomed in Nigeria as good news. Nigeria was just getting out of an extended stretch of military dictatorships, the economy was largely in the dumps, and people were eager for some good news. The surprise win gave fresh impetus to the beauty pageant industry in the country, and vindicated the optimistic prediction of the organizer of the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria competition, who had said that his aim in starting the competition more than 10 years earlier was to produce a Nigerian winner of either Miss World or Miss Universe.
Agbani Darego dropped out of the University of Port Harcourt after her reign as Miss World ended. She is currently pursuing a modelling career in Europe, with attempts to break out in North America.
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