By Josfyn Uba
Against all odds, the social media backlash and petitions to stop her from competing, Chidinma Adetshina’s remarkable journey to becoming the first runner-up in the Miss Universe pageant is a story of ambition, resilience, and empowerment. Known for her striking beauty, poise, and intelligence, Chidinma’s rise to prominence in the competitive world of beauty pageants embodies the essence of modern womanhood.
On Sunday, November 17, 2024, Chidimma brought the glory home to Nigeria making history as the first black to win the second-place title.
In this interview with Daily Sun, she speaks about her determination to never give up and how she pushed the boundaries to secure victory.
There is a slight confusion about the origin of the two tribal names you bear, Chidimma Adetshina. Are you Igbo or Yoruba? Can you give clear insight on this?
I am Igbo and Chidimma Adetshina is my name, and there is nothing I can do about it. It is who I am.
We understand that one of your dress designers is a Nigerian, Rikaoto By Me. Did she make just one of your outing dresses?
Rikaoto did not just make one of the dresses. She made majority of the dresses, and I am grateful to her. Maryam Elisha has not only been a designer, but she has been more like a sister. She took me more than a client, and I am really grateful to her. There are a lot of videos I would like to post to thank people who have been a positive part of my journey, and Rikaoto By Me is definitely one of them.
Can you tell us about your childhood?
My childhood was fun. I am a very shy person. I am a bit reserved and like to be on my own. I don’t really talk much. I am an indoor person and an athlete. I played indoor and outdoor netball in my province. I am currently a law student. My life has been centered around sports.
Then, at what point did the dream of becoming a beauty queen come in?
I used to engage in beauty contest for fun. I remember I did it in Bambi when I was four years old. I did pageantry in my primary school, Gudry Park and in my secondary school. Although, it wasn’t really something I took seriously. I always wanted to have fun with it. I only took it seriously in 2017 when I saw Demi-Leigh when she won Miss Universe. That was when I developed the interest to go for Miss Universe pageant.
How would you rate your journey in pageantry so far?
It has been a hectic journey so far, but I am really grateful for everything. I am also grateful for the outcome.
With everything that happened in South Africa when the journey started, did you know that at some point you would be representing Nigeria at the world Miss Universe stage?
I feel like I had a fair share with everyone in the competition in South Africa, but when I got here, there was a tough competition here. I also felt that I was capable. I just had to trust myself and believe in myself.
Speaking about capabilities, what do you think about the social media backlash that followed after it was announced that you were going to compete with other girls in Miss Universe Nigeria?
It was expected because I was already facing backlash in South Africa. So I knew that for me to accept the invitation to come and compete in Miss Universe Nigeria was going to be another big thing. I don’t think I still feel those emotions anymore because I really had to put that to bed. It was a very traumatic experience as well because it felt like everything I was trying to do at the time, felt like I was not doing anything right. A lot of people were saying things that gave me the vibes of whether I should go for it or should give up. But I am glad that I never listened to social media but followed what was in my heart.
Before the Miss Universe Nigeria invitation, you must have been planning to visit Nigeria. Coming at this time, was that part of the plan?
No, it was not part of the plan. I remember that at the beginning of the year, I told myself that I needed to go to Nigeria. I have never been to Nigeria, I didn’t know how and when but I needed to go to Nigeria, but God said, ‘I am going to show you how.’
How has it been staying in Nigeria? What did you miss most?
Nigeria has been a blessing for me. Since I arrived, it has been good things, after good things, after good things and I just made history for Nigeria. I know it will be more good things after this.
It has been amazing. I missed Jollof rice when I went to Mexico. I remember calling my aunt to ask, her where could I get Jollof rice in Mexico because I was hungry.
Can you recall your experience on the world stage?
That was really tough. I remember I got to a stage where I said I really can’t do this. I really needed to do home, but something inside of me kept saying, “Yes, you can do it. This is what you have always wanted”
The main goal for me was just to walk the stage. I was sick on the November 10th after the opening shoot, and 14th of November was the pre-event. I was told to choose to go to the hospital and not participate or stay and compete. I was like, what? After all I have been through, now I need to choose to go to the hospital. I declined because I was determined to walk the stage. That was what I wanted. And I am glad that I got to experience this opportunity.
You were the first runner up. How did you feel?
The fact that I was the first runner up is still a shocker to me because I never expected that I would be the first runner-up of Miss Universe 2024. Coming this far proves that we should never doubt ourselves. When we face certain things and things are not going our way, we tend to say, it’s not working out, let’s give up. I think I really showed that giving up is not an option. You really need to push through. Sometimes, it may not be the result that you want, but you can always gain something from it.
What do you make of the fact that South Africa is not happy that you represented Nigeria in addition to the fact that their contestant dropped out of the competition?
I think people are just making this whole thing a big deal. It is really sad to see because most of the time, people don’t understand the ripple effect these things can have on people. A lot of the time, people say certain things about Miss South Africa, Mia, and me, or they compare us. Most times, these types of things cause conflicts among beauty queens. I am really glad it didn’t have any effect on us because we were actually cool with each other.
You have younger people who see you as a role model. What is your advice to them if they want to go for this kind of competition the future?
I feel like all of us are different, and we all move differently. For me, it’s either I motivate myself, or someone motivates me, or something else motivates me. I will say, always have one of the three. If two out of the three do not work, the last one will work. Sometimes, you may try to motivate yourself, and it might not work. Also, someone may try to motivate you, and it might not work either, but may be one little thing from outside can get you to a point where you say, ‘I can do it’. For me, I saw a quote that says, “The Question is Not Who Will Let Me’ Its Who Will Stop Me’.” The moment I saw this quote, I felt so connected with it. I feel like I went to Mexico with this quote because when I got to Mexico, there was a petition for me not to walk the Miss Universe stage, and I felt like my life was ending. And I thought that it had all ended. But the quote kept ringing in my ear, and nobody is going to stop me. You just need to show it.
What is next for you?
What is next for me is obviously not pageantry. I have said it before that I am done with the pageant. I feel like I really did well. I made myself proud, I made Nigeria proud, and that is what I really wanted, but moving forward, I want to finish my education. I am a law student in my final year and I would love to graduate. I will also seek other potentials that I have within myself that I haven’t yet discovered.
I will play down on pageantry to focus more on my education. I will work more on runway, modeling, and acting, too, may be.