FG Urges Nigerians to Vote for Soye as Miss World Nigeria Eyes Miss World 2026 Glory

The Federal Government has rallied Nigerians to support Miss World Nigeria 2026, Tamunosoye Karibi-George, popularly known as Soye, as voting intensifies at the 73rd Miss World Festival in Vietnam.

Minister of Art, Culture and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, made the appeal on Friday, praising Karibi-George for her strong showing at the international pageant and urging Nigerians to vote as the competition enters a crucial stage.

Musawa said the 26-year-old had already made Nigeria proud by emerging as Africa’s Top Model and securing a place among the Top 40 contestants. She also praised her for using the global platform to promote Nigeria and draw attention to issues affecting young people.

“Emerging as Africa’s Top Model and securing your place in the Top 40 is a remarkable achievement,” Musawa said, while describing Karibi-George’s representation of Nigeria as a source of national pride.

The minister disclosed that only nine hours remained for voting and urged Nigerians to share the voting information widely. She stressed that every vote and point could prove important as the pageant moves towards its later stages.

Karibi-George, a native of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, was crowned Miss World Nigeria 2026 after emerging from 20 finalists at the national contest held at Balmoral Hall, Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos. She represented Bayelsa State during the competition.

Beyond pageantry, Karibi-George is a communications professional and an associate of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations. She also founded Beyond Labels, an initiative focused on inclusion and empowerment for children with special needs. Before winning the national crown, she was crowned Miss Africa International 2024 in Accra, Ghana.

At the ongoing Miss World Festival, Karibi-George has said her mission goes beyond competing for the crown, describing the opportunity as a platform to showcase Nigeria’s culture, resilience and compassion while advancing her advocacy work.

She will now seek to progress further in the competition and surpass Joy Mojisola Raimi’s Top 20 finish at the previous edition.