Celia Bissong
Encyclopedia
Omotu Bissong - formerly credited as Celia Bissong - is a Nigerian model, television presenter, and actress.
A native of Yala
, Cross River State
, Bissong started her modelling career when she was a child, and attended Nigerian Navy Primary school and Nigerian Navy Secondary school both in Calabar
, the latter she completed at the age the fourteen. In 2003, she was a third-year student of the University of Calabar
, studying Economics
when she made history by becoming the first Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria
winner from the South-East. Bissong's project's as MBGN included HIV
/AIDS
awareness, and the promotion of tourism
in the country.
After her reign, which saw her compete at Miss Universe
and Miss World
, Bissong continued to model in Nigeria before moving to America
, where she modeled and studied Accounting at the City University of New York
. In an interview with The Vanguard in 2008, Bissong criticised discrimination against black models in the American fashion industry, and admitted she was facing strong competition.
In 2009, Bissong returned to Nigeria to co-host the country's version of Britain's Got Talent
, The Peak Talent Hunt Show, and open her modelling agency O Model. She is currently working on a soap opera to be aired on Nigerian television in future.
A native of Yala
Yala, Nigeria
Yala is a Local Government Area in Cross River State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Okpoma in the east of the area at.It has an area of 1,739 km² and a population of 210,843 at the 2006 census...
, Cross River State
Cross River State
Cross River State is a coastal state in southeastern Nigeria, bordering Cameroon to the east. Its capital is at Calabar, and it is named for the Cross River , which passes through the state...
, Bissong started her modelling career when she was a child, and attended Nigerian Navy Primary school and Nigerian Navy Secondary school both in Calabar
Calabar
Calabar is a city in Cross River State, southeastern Nigeria. The original name for Calabar was Atakpa, from the Jukun language....
, the latter she completed at the age the fourteen. In 2003, she was a third-year student of the University of Calabar
University of Calabar
The University of Calabar - also known as UNICAL - is a university situated in Calabar, Cross River State, southeastern Nigeria. It is one of Nigerian's second generation universities. The University of Calabar was a campus of the University of Nigeria until 1975...
, studying Economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
when she made history by becoming the first Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria
Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria
The Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria pageant originally began as Miss Universe Nigeria in 1983, and was created by Silverbird Group. It was later re-named Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria in 1986. Winners represent Nigeria in Miss World and, until recently, Miss Universe – currently, only the...
winner from the South-East. Bissong's project's as MBGN included HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
/AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
awareness, and the promotion of tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
in the country.
After her reign, which saw her compete at Miss Universe
Miss Universe
Miss Universe is an annual international beauty contest that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. The pageant is the most publicized beauty contest in the world with 600 million viewers....
and Miss World
Miss World
The Miss World pageant is the oldest surviving major international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951...
, Bissong continued to model in Nigeria before moving to America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where she modeled and studied Accounting at the City University of New York
City University of New York
The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...
. In an interview with The Vanguard in 2008, Bissong criticised discrimination against black models in the American fashion industry, and admitted she was facing strong competition.
In 2009, Bissong returned to Nigeria to co-host the country's version of Britain's Got Talent
Britain's Got Talent
Britain's Got Talent is a British television talent show competition which started in June 2007 and originated from the Got Talent series. The show is produced by FremantleMedia's TalkbackThames and Simon Cowell's production company SYCOtv. The show is broadcast on ITV in Britain and TV3 in Ireland...
, The Peak Talent Hunt Show, and open her modelling agency O Model. She is currently working on a soap opera to be aired on Nigerian television in future.