Former Miss South Africa finalist, Chidimma Adetshina, has returned to Nigeria after 20 years to compete in the Miss Universe Nigeria pageant.
She arrived in Lagos on Wednesday, August 22nd 2024 stressing that she is eager to reconnect with her roots.
In her words; “I’m just really excited that I’m in my father’s land and I wanna get to experience more about it, it’s been 20 years since I’ve been here, so I just wanna get to know more about Nigeria’s culture and where I really come from.”
Chidimma expressed her determination to win the Miss Universe Nigeria crown, highlighting her goal to use the platform to promote unity and celebrate diversity.
“My goal is obviously to win the crown.
“As someone who has faced adversity, I want to use my story to bring people together. We should value diversity and celebrate our differences—it’s the key to building a stronger community where everyone is recognised and appreciated.”
She expressed gratitude to the Silverbird Group for giving her the opportunity to compete, after being forced to withdraw from the Miss South Africa pageant due to a nationality dispute and xenophobic attacks.
Alongside her modeling career, Chidimma is also pursuing a law degree and plans to continue her education after the pageant. She stated:
“I’m a law student, and once I graduate, I’d like to further my studies in that field.”
Chidimma accepted the invitation from the Miss Universe Nigeria organizers and will represent Taraba State as Contestant Number 25. The grand finale is set for August 31, 2024, at the Eko Convention Centre in Victoria Island, Lagos. Watch the video of Chidimma’s welcome here:
“I'm just really excited that I'm in my father's land and I wanna get to experience more about it, it's been 20 years since I've been here, so I just wanna get to know more about Nigeria's culture and where I really come from” Chidimma Vanessa Onwe Adetshina
“my goal is to… pic.twitter.com/H1tugkMdAo
— News Live SA (@newslivesa) August 21, 2024
See reactions below;
@TheeAzanian: And a few weeks ago she said she’d never been there but now she was there when she was 3.
@the_kn_diary: This is already spectacular. We groomed a Nigerian child so that one day we will send her to her people to go and scam the real scammers of this world. This reminds me of “Wanted” movie.
@VillageParro: You South Africans are really mentally ill. Why are you still obsessing over her? It’s almost like there’s nothing meaningful in your miserable lives to talk about. Leave her alone. She’s Nigerian and we’ve accepted her. Go and find someone else to hate.
@mabasotf: “It’s been 20 years since I’ve been here.” Didn’t they say Chidimma was born in SA ?
@__ThapeloM: Yeah, stay over there as well don’t come back here.
@GodPenuel: I don’t know whether to feel sorry for this lady or bunch her with all the idiots advising her. She’s constantly making the wrong moves!!! She had a great opportunity to shine a spotlight on immigration, Pan Africanism, colonial borders… but she keeps doing dumb things.
In case you missed it, checkout a video of Chidimma Adetshina displaying her modeling skills below;