The victory of Miss Chidimma Adetshina at the grand finale of the 2024 Miss Universe pageant depicts a resilient story of the Nigerian in the midst of adversity. It also shows what a gifted citizen could achieve if given the needed support. From rejection in South Africa, where she was born and raised, 22-year old Adetshina embraced her Nigerian heritage to represent Nigeria in the 73rd Miss Universe beauty contest, which took place recently in Mexico.
She made history by attaining the first runner-up and being crowned Miss Universe Africa and Oceania regions. Miss Adetshina deserves encomiums for her great feat. She is like the stone the builders rejected that has become the cornerstone. She has become a source of pride to Nigeria and a beacon of hope to young girls.
Adetshina’s elegance, wit and composure stood out among the 120 contestants from around the world that competed for the coveted prize. However, Victoria Kjaer Theilvig of Denmark won the 2024 Miss Universe pageant. Apart from being the first runner-up, Chidimma was also crowned Miss Universe Africa and Oceania regions for being the highest placed contestant from the two continents, comprising 56 African countries and 14 countries in Oceania. The privileges that came with her feat included a $100,000 reward, a one-year lease of a fully furnished apartment in New York and a $3 million encrusted crown. Also, another Nigerian, Miss Agbani Darego, won Miss World contest in 2001.
For Miss Universe contest, Nigeria showed flashes of brilliance in 2012 when Maristella Okpala’s impressive masquerade costume won the Best National Costume award and, in 2014, when Osem Celestine won the Miss Congeniality title for her friendly and outgoing personality. But these were not regarded as placements. A contestant has to reach the top five to earn a placement in the pageant. Until Adetshina’s emergence, no West African contestant had finished in the top five. Aside from her stunning looks, she captivated judges and audiences with her insightful answers to topical issues, such as diversity and human respect.
Nigerians with dual citizenship are by Adetshina’s impressive outing on the global stage encouraged to identify with Nigeria. Oftentimes, Nigerian athletes raised abroad have been caught in a fix whether to represent Nigeria or foreign countries where they were born. While some have shown patriotism by representing Nigeria, others have chosen to wear the national colours of their adopted countries. We commend Nigerians from all over the world for rallying to save Adetshina’s rejection and despair when South Africa disowned her and exposed her to xenophobic attacks online. Despite carrying a valid South African passport, having been born in Soweto, South Africa, to a Mozambican mother and a Nigerian father, and raised in Cape Town, she was rejected. The South African eligibility rules had stated that a contestant must have lived permanently in South Africa for five years to compete, which she met. But she was harassed by South Africans to relinquish her bid for Miss Universe South African to save her skin.
We commend Ben Murray Bruce for inviting Adetshina to compete for Miss Universe Nigeria to prove her worth. By representing Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation in the world, her hidden talent has been announced to the world. Nigeria has demonstrated that it has the capacity to launch its nationals to international glory. From their humble beginnings in Nigeria, our musicians, actors and writers have continued to place Africa on the global hall of fame. Adetshina’s turnaround story is a reminder to every Nigerian youth that there is no place like home. It is a lesson for every aspiring youth never to give up. To the girl-child, Adetshina has demonstrated that beauty and brains matter. Her triumph also serves as an inspiration to the marginalised in every society that rejection is not the end of the road for them.
The government of South Africa should halt the xenophobic attacks on fellow Africans in the rainbow country. The freedom being enjoyed in the country today was made possible by joint efforts of Nigeria and other African leaders and blacks the world over. The love shown by the Black race should be requited on fellow Africans by South Africans. We believe that the sky is too big for many birds to fly. We congratulate Chidimma Adetshina on her great feat and urge other girls to emulate her worthy example.