The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has said that the ongoing Miss Africa Pageant will discourage indecent dress culture.

Spokesman to the FCT Minister of State, Austine Elemue, said on Sunday that 61 delegates from different African countries have arrived in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, to participate in the pageant.

Receiving the delegates at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, the Secretary of FCT Social Development Secretariat, Hadiza Kabir, said the essence of the pageant is to discourage indecent dressing culture and promote tourism potentials in the FCT.

Ms Kabir, who was represented by the director of administration and finance of the secretariat, Kevin Ike, explained that the event is a social integration programme with the theme “Uniting Africa, Discouraging Indecent Dress Culture, Promoting Tourism and Empowering the Africa Woman.”

She said that the objective is also to bring the African youths to interact with the youths in the FCT to champion youth empowerment, employment generation, wealth creation and value reorientation.

“This ninth edition of the pageant will keep the delegates in Abuja for the next 14 days. And the essence is to promote black integration.

“The FCT minister of State, Ramatu Aliyu, decided to bring Africans together, especially the youths, to make Abuja the real melting point of social integration in Africa. It is to send a strong message to the world that beauty does not lie in nude dressing,” she said.

On her part, Miss University, African Nigeria, Ajoke Ajoke, said the programme is geared towards preventing rape and violence against women as well as promoting women empowerment.