Chidimma Adetshina, the winner of the recently concluded Miss Universe Nigeria, has explained why South Africans were against her participation in the Miss South Africa pageant despite being a citizen.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that Ms Adetshina has withdrawn from the Miss South Africa pageant following backlash over her Nigerian heritage.
Following this, the organizers of Miss Universe Nigeria invited her to represent Taraba State in their 2024 pageant.
In the historic and highly contested event, Mrs Adetshina beat 24 contestants to win N10 million on Saturday.
According to Guy Muray-Bruce, the pageant's national director and president of Silverbird Group, the 23-year-old will now represent Nigeria at the Miss Universe 2024 pageant in Mexico this November.
Ben Murray, CEO of Silverbird [PHOTO CREDIT@SME Digest]The beauty queen opened up about her travails in an emotional interview with Silverbird Television on Monday.
Painful rejection
The 300-level law student recounted the emotional strain she endured during the controversial Miss South Africa 2024 pageant. “I was just a little girl who had always wanted to achieve this dream of becoming the next Miss Universe. I have been watching Miss Universe since 2017 and tried out for Miss South Africa in 2022 but didn’t make the cut. I decided to try again. I was proud to be in the top 30. But when I advanced to the top 16, the backlash started.
Article page with promotion of financial support
“It all started with my name. People weren’t happy with my name being Chidimma and representing South Africa. They thought I wasn’t South African enough because of my name. It was heartbreaking to see that I wasn’t welcomed or accepted, even though I’ve lived there for 23 years.”
Chidimma Adetshina
The Soweto-born actress revealed that things got worse when certain behind-the-scenes events forced her to leave the competition. “Certain things happened that made me pull out. It was heartbreaking, but a decision had to be made. Claims about my mother’s identity came to light and while it remains a legal matter, I won’t be commenting on it. But I know I was born in South Africa. I’m proud to be South African and Nigerian.”
“I was thrilled to receive an invitation from Silverbird… The love I have received has been exceptional, not only from the organization and the girls, but from Nigeria and the whole world,” she happily shared.
Despite the memorable moments she described at the camp, Adetshina said she also experienced difficult times: “I felt like my emotions were starting to cloud me. I was suppressing them a lot. This was almost the peak moment; I started to feel the pressure and all those emotions started to come out.”
Miss Universe Nigeria
As she takes on her new role as Miss Universe Nigeria while balancing her academic and sporting commitments, Ms Adetshina said she is adjusting to her lifestyle.
The pageant queen said: “I have been handling things well. I play netball and I am a law student; I study online. I don’t play netball every day. I am with a specific team, we have specific days to play and days to train as well. So I have been handling that well but now becoming the new Miss Universe Nigeria, I am still finding ways to adjust to that as well. I would be staying in Nigeria most of the time to serve the country. I am preparing for Mexico so I need all my preparations to be ready.”
“As for Miss Universe, I am doing my makeup to learn how to walk. I am practicing my walk and preparing the designs of the outfits for the show. I want to make Nigeria proud and leave a big mark on that stage. I have a few things planned so far. We are still working on them. I don’t want to be a queen that focuses on one dimension. I want to reach out everywhere and make sure that I contribute and make an impact not just in Nigeria but everywhere. I want to make sure that I use this platform that is given to me wisely. As long as I know that I am impacting one person, I know that I have already done my job.”
READ ALSO: Miss Universe Nigeria: South Africans back Miss Kwara, snub Chidimma Adetshina
The 23-year-old student urged aspiring beauty queens to stay focused on their dreams, acknowledging that the journey will be difficult but emphasizing the importance of perseverance.