Ex - Beauty Queen Kessiana Salubi Has Died

Ex-beauty queen, architect and interior designer Kessiana Salubi dies at age 34. She died on Friday November 7th in her sleep.

For those of you who don't know her, she was quite popular many years ago in the Nigerian showbiz world. A former student of UNILAG who started out as a model. She did a lot of fashion shows and a couple print ads before taking the beauty pageant route; an area she was really passionate about and she didn't do bad all. She became even more popular when she contested in the 2001 Miss UNILAG Pageant and won the title.

Kessi - as she was fondly called by her family and close friends - had an amazing reign because she was not only humble, she was well liked too. With her success as Miss UNILAG, in 2002, she contested in a much bigger and more recognized beauty pageant, the Miss Nigeria beauty pageant. Though she did not win, she was well liked again by the audience because of her intellect and she still made it to the top 5 finalists as the first runner up.

According to Kessi's sister who had seen Kessi on friday, she appeared calm and relaxed. She did not complain of any health issues; not even a headache. She had come back from an outing, had dinner, had a bath and went to bed in her Lekki home. She had a wedding to attend the following day, Saturday, but when her friends went to pick her up at her homee for the wedding, she never woke up.

Her remains have been taken to her hometown in Delta State where she will be buried. The date of the funeral has not been announced yet. She's survived by her parents and siblings.

I received the news on my whatsapp today from one of my best friends and my whole day was ruined. Kessi and I did many fashion shows and I can vividly remember the last show we did together at the Fantasy Island right across from the Golden Gate in Ikoyi, Lagos in the year 2000. She was such a warm hearted fellow and that was how we became friends.

She visited me a couple of times at my home in Surulere, Lagos. I am so heart broken. At such a young age. If it were an elderly person, I would be definitely sure that the cause of death was due to a Myocardial infarction (Heart Attack), but at 34, how could that be? Sleep Apnea is most likely the cause of death. A potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts, but there is no confirmation on that. I don't think an autopsy was done on her. That's the sad thing about Nigeria, we take certain things that could give us some kind of closure for granted.

What else can I say? This is a big loss, but the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh. Who can question Him? No one. Kessiana, may your gentle soul rest in perfect peace in the bossom of the Lord. You will greatly be missed.