The Miss Tourism Nigeria Organization has announced the appointment of Collette Nwadike, award-winning filmmaker, Nollywood actress, and former Miss Tourism Nigeria 2014, as its new Chief Executive Officer. This move was widely celebrated across Nigeria’s entertainment and fashion industries, both symbolically and strategically.
“The crown has found its next leader—and a new legacy begins,” read the official statement from the organization. For Collette, 34, the girl who once dreamed of queenship in Makurdi’s quiet streets, this moment represents the culmination of years of resilience.
A Legacy Reborn Through Experience and Art
Born in Makurdi, Benue State, to Simon and Angelina Nwadike, Collette’s story mirrors the archetypal Nigerian dream, a narrative of persistence against all odds. Though her roots trace to Nise in Anambra State, she was raised amid the calm grit of the Middle Belt. A graduate of English and Literature from Nnamdi Azikiwe University, she cultivated an early fascination with stories, first through books, later through film, fashion, and advocacy.
As a teenager, she failed multiple pageant auditions, including Miss UNIZIK, MBGN, and Miss Earth Nigeria, but refused to surrender. Her breakthrough came in 2014, when she won the Miss Tourism Nigeria title, representing Anambra State. Barely a month later, she was appointed Special Adviser to the Governor of Anambra State on Tourism, a move that blurred the boundaries between pageantry and policy.
A year later, Collette achieved what no African woman had before, winning the Exquisite Face of the Universe pageant in São Tomé, defeating contestants from over 50 countries. With that triumph, she brought home a message: that African beauty and intellect belong at the global table.
The Visionary Artist Behind the Crown
Far from the traditional image of a beauty queen, Collette has since evolved into a creative powerhouse. She is the CEO of ScreenGoddess Global Productions, a filmmaker and writer whose work interweaves storytelling, art, and cultural preservation. Her yet-to-be-released film series, African Beauty, continues that mission, telling African stories through the lens of authenticity and dignity.
In her own words, “My art is a dialogue with the past, a celebration of the beauty and resilience of my people. I honor my father’s memory through every stroke, every scene, every word.”
Collette stands at the intersection of artistry and activism, a woman who treats beauty as a conduit for transformation. Her nonverbal medium is visual, but her message is profoundly spiritual.
Redefining Miss Tourism Nigeria for a New Generation
Her appointment signals a bold new direction for Miss Tourism Nigeria. This organization has, for over a decade, served as a platform for cultural diplomacy, promoting female empowerment and fostering creative entrepreneurship. Under Collette’s leadership, insiders say, the brand will shift focus toward “cultural storytelling, sustainable tourism, and global visibility for Nigerian women.”
Industry analysts view the move as both poetic and pragmatic. “Who better to lead Miss Tourism Nigeria than a woman who lived the journey from contestant to global queen, from dreamer to executive?” said one official of the Beauty of Africa International Pageant (BAIP).
Collette’s appointment also carries emotional resonance. She becomes the first former queen in the organization’s history to ascend to its top executive office, a full-circle moment of triumph that redefines what it means to reign.
Tourism as Cultural Power
In an era when Nigeria’s soft power increasingly depends on culture, fashion, film, and tourism, Collette’s leadership arrives at a pivotal time. Her tenure is expected to reposition the Miss Tourism Nigeria brand as a key player in cultural exportation, showcasing Nigeria not just as a destination, but as a heartbeat of creativity.
For her, the pageant is not about crowns or sashes, but purpose. “This journey is bigger than beauty,” she said in an interview statement. “It’s about empowering women to become storytellers, innovators, and ambassadors of their culture.”
A Crown Carved from Courage
Collette’s life reads like a film script, complete with rejection, triumph, reinvention, and a spiritual return to where it all began. In appointing her, Miss Tourism Nigeria is enshrining a philosophy.
She represents a new generation of African women, deeply rooted in heritage, who understand that true leadership is service.
As she assumes her new role, Miss Tourism Nigeria has placed its future in the hands of a woman who embodies the very ideals it stands for, beauty and power reborn.
