My Beauty Queen Daughter Has Brought Glory To Our Family– Father of Miss PH

It’s been celebration galore in the Waka’s family of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State following the crowning of Sandra Okey Waka as Miss Port Harcourt City Beauty Queen in the just concluded 2019/2020 edition of the beauty and brain contest.
While the family prepares to welcome their daughter ahead of her thanksgiving, father of the beauty queen, Mr. Okey Waka, spoke with TNN in a brief chat.
Waka who in his words encouraged parents to support their children to achieve their passion, said he has repented from his preconceived notion about pageantry. According to him, witnessing as the crown was placed on his daughter’s head as Miss Port Harcourt Beauty Queen increased his life span.
He stressed that permitting his daughter to participate in pageantry made him feel like he was exposing her to hazards, adding that his change of thought was as a result of the decent and sincere passion she exhibited towards pageantry, as well as the way and manner it was organized.
According to him, “you know initially I felt I was exposing my daughter to a hazardous way of life. I thought so but today my daughter has proven my thoughts wrong, she has shown me a different thing entirely, this pageantry has brought honour and glory to God and my family.
“I have been receiving congratulatory messages and calls from the high and mighty, people I never expected. Who am I? This God is great, He has done it in His time, my daughter has made me a proud father, she has brought honour to me, indeed female children are a pride of their fathers when given them the right training.”
Father of the beauty queen hinted TNN on his daughter’s journey in pageantry, “Sandra, my daughter has always had this passion for beauty pageant, she has always had this burning passion. There was a time she also contested for Ada Ikwerre,though she lost out. I encouraged her, if this is what you have passion for then pick up from where you stopped.
“As you can see, she encouraged herself and remained focused. Today, we have a better story to tell. When she came to me and said daddy, I have a form for you, I asked her what the form was about, beauty contest again? I wasn’t entirely okay with it but as a father who saw the honesty in his daughter’s eyes, I had to sign the form and supported her, gave her my blessings, people supported her financially, campaigned for her.
“Today people are praising me just because of the good deed of my daughter, people I never expected called me, a daughter is indeed her father’s pride.
“I will advise parents, keep your children very close and support, encourage them in their decisions, guide them rightly. I initially did not believe that such a thing will reach my house. I will also advise our daughters not to go off track.
“No one should give up on himself, you can achieve whatever you put your mind into any day, anytime, look at what God has done, who am I to get to that level, who am I, if it’s something to buy I can’t buy it, even that day in the hall I was calm, out of over twenty something people, I handed it over to God, asking that his will be done because I can’t contest it with money only by his grace, I lack words to equate this victory.”