It was a moment of nostalgia and pride for Bissa model Nihad Idrissu Ayobi as the Bissa chiefs and people of Bawku gathered to give her a royal treat at an honorary durbar held on Saturday 9th January.
Nihad received a heroic welcome as she returned home after winning the 1st Runner Up position at the 2020 Miss Upper East.
The durbar, held under the auspices of the Bawku Bissa Chief Amadu Haruna Dabre, was to thank and encourage the young lady for her efforts to project the Bissa culture .
It came just a week after her remarkable performance at the event, which is held solely for indegenes of the Upper East region.
The 24-year-old was the Runner Up at the Miss Upper East beauty pageant but additionally won the Miss Popularity category in the Grand finale after receiving huge public votes from Bissas.
She was the only Bissa among 12 contestants and had a spectacular performance in the finals on 2nd January when she mounted the stage.
Her understanding and projection of the Bissa culture have already won her huge admiration across the Bissa fraternity and the durbar comes an icing on the cake.
She was accompanied by her family to the durbar where she was granted the honour to address the huge gathering.
She was welcomed to the durbar ground in a full traditional pageantry style with music and dance performed by the Bissa musical troop, who were with her during the contest.
There were also a number of a spectacular choreography, poetry recitals from Bissas, which added more colour to the occasion.
For Nihad, it was not just a homecoming moment but also a perfect opportunity to shed more light on her project, which is meant to give back to the people in the region where she had her early childhood education.
She used the opportunity to raise awareness of her project – educating children living with disability in the Upper East – and is set to launch her foundation.
As a final year student at Valley View University, she urged girls in the area to avoid acts that would get them pregnant; a situation that could curtail their education and ultimately their goals in life.
She thanked the Bissa fraternity for their immense support for her throughout the contest.
She was full of appreciation the honour done her as she commended the Bissa people for rallying behind her with their votes, from which she won the Miss Popularity award that spurred her into winning the 2nd spot.
Addressing the durbar Chief Dabre congratulated Nihad for the honour she has brought to Bissas by exhibiting intelligence in projecting the Bissa culture to clinch the second position in the pageant.
He reiterated the need for Bissa youth to emulate the likes of Nihad to value and show pride in projecting the Bissa culture.
The grand finale of the 2020 Miss Upper East, which is 3rd edition, was held on the 2nd of January at Bolgatanga GNAT Hall.
Queen Nihad Ayobi at the Durbar grounds in Bawku pic.twitter.com/vAnDpk2XEy
— Bissa News Online (@bissanewsonline) January 12, 2021
Nihad is a very cool and quiet girl. She deserves it congrats sweetie na