After facing a wave of criticism following her withdrawal from South African beauty pageant, Chidimma Adetshina has made a triumphant comeback by winning the Miss Universe Nigeria 2024 pageant.
Despite the initial setback, Adetshina’s victory marks a significant achievement in her modeling career, silencing doubts and earning her a prestigious crown.
The 23-year-old law student came to Nigeria after accepting to participate in the competition following her controversial withdrawal from Miss South Africa 2024 due to xenophobic backlash over her nationality.
Born to a Nigerian father, and a Mozambique mother, she was raised in Soweto.
The model stood a good chance in the South African competition until a torrent of abuse from some South Africans who claimed she was not qualified to contest in the pageant because her father is not South African.
South Africa’s Home Affairs Minister, Leon Schreiber, initiated an investigation into Adetshina’s citizenship following a request from the Miss South Africa organisers and outcry from South Africans.
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The ministry subsequently said after investigating Chidinma’s roots, it discovered that the identity of an “innocent” South African mother may have been stolen by Adetshina’s mother.
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.
The winner represented Taraba State in the keenly contested competition, which had a total of 25 participants.
Adetshina will receive N10 million in cash along with other prizes as well as representing Nigeria at the Miss Universe pageant in Mexico this November.
The participation of Chidimma Adetshina, 23, in the national beauty pageant sparked controversy in South Africa as soon as it was disclosed that her father is Nigerian and her mother has her roots in Mozambique.
South Africans argued that she should not represent the country internationally, since the rules of the contest state that the contestants must have South African citizenship.
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