Chioma Obiadi Stephanie emerged the 40th Miss Nigeria at the Miss Nigeria pageant held at the Eko Hotel Convention & Suites, Victoria Island in Lagos, last night.

An undergraduate of Nnamdi Azikiwe University studying geology, she represented Anambra State at the competition.
Following her win, she takes over from the outgoing queen, Lessi Peter.

Miss Chioma, who recently represented Nigeria at the 2016 Miss Earth beauty pageant in the Phillipines, beat 37 other contestants to clinch the winning prize.

Aside from the title, she also won an all-expense paid trip to France.

Over 1,000 beauty queen hopefuls entered for the Miss Nigeria pageant however only 38 made the final cut. The auditions were held in Abuja, Port Harcourt, Enugu and Lagos State.

Each contestant represented the rich heritage of the thirty-six states in Nigeria including the Federal Capital Territory at the prestigious pageant.

Atinuke Oyelode is the first winner of the Miss Nigeria pageant. She was crowned queen at the Lagos Island Club in 1957.

Following her win, she was given 200 pounds, a wardrobe filled with four beautiful cotton dresses and a trip to London.