I felt ashamed keeping virginity — Ex-beauty queen, Akinnifesi

A former Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria (2005), Omowunmi Akinnifesi, has opened up about her personal journey of self-discovery, faith and the challenges of staying true to her values in a world that often misunderstands them.

Speaking about her decision to remain a virgin and the shame she once felt about it, Akinnifesi stated that those experiences inspired her to start her initiative— Sacred Vessels— aimed at helping women rediscover their worth and uphold morals in society.

In a video shared on her YouTube channel with the title The Walk In Purity, the former beauty queen said, “I am starting this initiative because things are very different right now. The way women are, it’s almost as if we don’t understand our value anymore and our morals. I had a covenant with God when I was 18 years old about keeping myself. People say “celibate” but I have never done it before. There was nobody there for me. I spent my twenties making mistakes, adjusting and doing what I knew best. Because I have kept myself, I walked in shame for a very long time. I was actually very ashamed of it. I had friends that I couldn’t talk to. When I finally spoke to them, they would laugh at me.”

“Even worse, the stories I would hear about myself. Imagine being okay with negative stories about you, masking something that you thought was going to be an embarrassment. In today’s world, I don’t know how I would have survived it. It was very hard for me, but I did it through the grace of God,” she said.