Accra July 10, GNA - She sent the crowd cheering, her beauty was flashing, her eloquence superb, her perceptions as sharp as a razor and the judges had no headache when Lamisi Mbillah was adjudged as Miss Ghana 2005 at about 0250 hours on Sunday morning.
The most incipient of all the spectators could not agree more than to applaud and wished just to touch her, listen to her and a lullaby from her would have done the trick to send many broken hearts alive. "God would not make you a tortoise and ask you to run the race of horses," Lamisi, Winner for the LG Miss Ghana 2005 philosophised in a typical Ghanaian proverb, which many elders would have not heard before. The adage, she said, guided her in the contest.
When she entered the contest she knew her capabilities, her strength and weaknesses and how to turn, with God on her side, a seeming impossibility to a possibility. And there she goes to ultimately represent Ghana in the Miss World Contest!
Lamisi, a 22 year old Zoology student at the University of Ghana, Legon said she knew she had a good chance of winning the contest but she recognised also that she ought to work hard for it.
Miss Ghana 2005, like a ripen plantain, which although needed no stew, she all the same sprinkled a bit of spice to season the tasty meat and before the contest ended she had won the prize for Miss eloquence; because of the way she cutely answered questions increasing her admirers.
Asked about who she would saved from drowning if her father, husband and son were drowning, Lamisi said, "As much as I love my father, he had had a longer time to live, my son I can always have a chance of giving birth to one but my husband, I have vowed to love him for better, for worse, and I will save him."
This answer won her a long applause. It was an intelligent one. For her prize for being the most eloquent among the contestants she received two million cedis by the of courtesy Astraeus Airline operated by Ghana Tours
Lamisi had a brand new car, 10,000 dollars for Education and Career Enhancement, State of the Art LG Home Appliance worth 20 million cedis, and travel tickets, courtesy Astraeus airline, one of the main sponsors of the competition as her prize for winning the contest.
Other prizes for her included a wardrobe by ATL, a monthly allowance of one million cedis, free make-up and skin therapy during her reign by FC (a beauty therapy clinic).
Hajia Alima Mahama, Minister of Women and Children Affairs presented her with the prizes and decorated her with the LG Miss Ghana sash. It was a contest that brought twenty-one exquisite, confident and intelligent ladies together that no one could pass by without admiring or...
After going through the choreography dance, the contestants were made to appear on stage with a swimwear, where the audiences were given information about their vital statistics.
They exhibited unique talents through acting, dancing and singing and were made to dance to highlife tunes to know their dancing abilities.
Selection of the final five contestants being numbers two, 14, 15, 18 and 19, appeared to have been a straight competition between Lamisi, contestant number 15 and Yvonne Nelson, 14, judging from the over enthusiastic vociferous spectators and the officials judiciously performed their duties to perfection. One could not blame the admirers of Yvonne too because of her striking beauty.
The audience kept shouting; numbers 14 and 15; 14, 15. Perhaps the moment of truth came when the final question was asked. The question was, "If you are a judge of this contest what question will you ask the contestants?"
Yvonne answered that she would have asked about the G8 Summit since it was important to Africa's development.
Lamisi said she would ask the contestants' about the essence of beauty pageants and how it could contribute to help the youth, especially women in the country. And the applause was deafening. Yvonne received an award for being the most talented and the most photogenic contestants; she also received an amount of two million cedis by courtesy of Astraeus Airline and another two million cedis donated by Photo Club, one of the sponsors.
Ursula Naa Dei Neequaye, Contestant number two, a 20-year-old student at the University of Ghana was adjudged the first runner-up. She took home a modern set of living room furniture worth 5,000 dollars donated by Woodeck Limited, LG home appliances worth 15 million cedis, five million cedis cash and an Accra London Accra ticket by Astraeus Airline.
Maame Efua Anane-Darko, contestant number 18 and a second year student of the University of Cape-Coast was adjudged the second runner-up.
She believed it was worth waiting for the right things to happen at the right time because no condition was permanent, saying that it did not really matter how long it took for one's dream to materialize. Maame Efua had as her prize, LG home appliances worth ten million cedis, an Accra-London Accra ticket by Astraeus airline, a modern set of kitchen ware and three million cedis cash.
Other contestants received certificates of participation, one million cedis, Revlon products and ATL dresses each. Miss Personality award went to Anita Adu, a 23 year-old student from the Agriculture College in Kumasi.
Florentina Aborchie, a second year student at the University of Cape-coast received an award for the most beautiful hairstyle, Monica Baaba Jones, a student at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology received the Miss Fitness Award.
The Web Queen went to Matilda Danquah, a student at the Kumasi Polytechnic.
Most audience observed that the contest was well-organised, well-patronised and the result was fair. 10 July 05