After denial in South Africa, Chidimma Adetshina wins Miss Universe Nigeria

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Chidimma Adetshina, who was denied participation in South Africa over controversy around her nationality, has won the Miss Universe Nigeria 2024 pageant.

Indeed, Adetshina was forced to withdraw from South African beauty pageant due to xenophobic backlash and rejection over her nationality.

Chidimma Vanessa Onwe Adetshina was born in 2001, in Soweto, to a Nigerian father, and a Mozambican mother, though some sources claim that her mother is allegedly a Zulu South African. Her father is Igbo, while her mother is a Mozambican who becomes a naturalized citizen of South Africa.

However, after the controversy and denial by South Africa, the 23-year-old law student came to Nigeria to participate in the Miss Universe Nigeria 2024 pageant competition.

Guy Murray-Bruce, President of Silverbird Group, organisers of the competition, announced Adetshina as the winner at the grand finale which held at Eko Hotels & Suites, Lagos, on Saturday night.

She emerged as the winner in a well-contested competition of a total of 25 participants.

Miss Adetshina had earlier stated that her being invited to take part in Miss Universe Nigeria is a second chance for her to achieve one of her biggest dreams and goals, which is pageantry.

According to her, “I am so excited, I just feel like this is a second chance in achieving one of my biggest dreams and my biggest goals, and I’m really excited. I’ve always wanted to be a model, I wasn’t really educated on pageantry and all of that.

“When I first knew what pageantry was, it was in 2017, and that’s when I told myself I want to be the next Miss Universe. So, for me, it’s just a thing of I had goals and I set them for myself, and I’m here to achieve them. So, I think I’m just aligning with what I’ve always wanted to do, and I’m really grateful for that.”

She believed she would not have participated had she not be invited in Nigeria. “No, I wouldn’t, because I wouldn’t have known if I was able to. And also, it has been long since I’ve been here (Nigeria). But I also saw the comments and I was like, maybe this is something I should try out, but then, obviously, the invitation came out and I was really excited that I was given that opportunity, so that’s why I took it as quick as possible.

“Ever since I’ve gotten here, I’ve only received so much love and encouragement from all of the girls. So, I came in here thinking that a lot of them will feel some type of way about the invitation and about me actually coming, but I can guarantee the words of encouragement, the support I’ve been given by these amazing women has been there, and I’m just really happy that they accept me, and that they are not feeling some type of way after receiving all the critiques and the comments about this advantage that people might feel that I might have had.”