Cinderella story: After South Africa Drama, Chidimma Adetshina wins Miss Universe Nigeria 2024
By Ese Gift Orakpoghenor
Chidimma Adetshina was ushered into the spotlight in a cloudy haze of controversy. Africa’s Cinderella was left clutching at the slippery straws of her South African identity after online xenophobic attacks forced her to withdraw from further participation in Miss Universe South Africa edition.
But in a beautiful twist of fate, conjured in her country of origin, the 23-year-old law student and model got a second chance to catwalk her way into stardom in a blaze of glory, by winning the Miss Universe Nigeria 2024 edition.
Amid the controversy over her South African identity, Adetshina, who was born to a Nigerian father in South Africa, was gifted a second chance and eventually crowned on Saturday, August 31, in Lagos.
Now, she will be chaperoned into the global spotlight by fluttering wide eyelashes and dizzying stares from Cape Town to Lagos, when Miss Universe 2024 edition holds in Mexico City in November, with a chance of a lifetime to polish her Cinderella pageantry story.
Adetshina will contest the global crown with several others, including Mia le Roux of Western Cape, who will represent South Africa at Miss Universe 2024 in Mexico on November 16. Denied a chance at one end of the continental pole, South Africa’s loss literally became Nigeria’s gain.
Weeks ago, when she was being bullied online by xenophobic trolls, South African music star, Tyla, renowned for her hit song “Water,” expressed her disappointment over the way the young model was treated. Although Tyla affirmed her loyalty to South Africa, she condemned the bullying that Adetshina faced, stating, “I will always stand with South Africa. I just feel regardless of the opinions, she was bullied and that’s what I don’t stand for.”
Amid the trolls, the organisers of Miss Universe Nigeria invited her to participate in the contest. In a video message posted on X (formerly Twitter) by the Founder, Silverbird Group, Ben Murray-Bruce, Adetshina was seen announcing her decision to compete in the Miss Universe Nigeria pageant. According to the organisers, she would be able to “represent her father’s native land on the international stage”. Although this decision caused a lot of division among online users, it sparked a new light for the young model as it may have heightened her preparations for the opportunity that presented itself to her. Her display of intelligence and elegance not only proved her nobility as queen, but showed her innate ability to embrace peace and personal validation regardless of circumstances.
While this decision seemed like the most difficult decision of her life, it has opened her to victory and given her recognition far beyond what she may have anticipated.
On Saturday, among the top five finalists; Miss Anambra, Paula Ezendu; Miss Taraba, Chidimma Adetshina; Miss Edo, Edeifo Brittany; Miss Ondo, Ayegbidun Peace Olamide; and Miss Rivers, Nyekachi Douglas; Adetshina stood out for the crown.
In celebrating her win, she gushed to the audience, “I just want everyone to know that this crown is not just a crown of beauty, it is going to unite us as one. I am really proud and grateful that I am going to represent Nigeria at the Miss Universe, and I know we are going to win.”
With her decision to step down from the South African edition, the Nigerian-born model showed great courage, while she remained focus on her goal of becoming a Miss Universe. She refused distractions and embraced the call to participate in the Miss Nigeria pageantry. Her victory, much more than a tiara and a sash, is a testament to resilience, identity, and the power of second chances.
In a heartfelt Instagram post, after she was crowned Miss Universe Nigeria pageant, Adetshina, who represented Taraba State, wrote “I want to dedicate this crown to God Almighty, who has been my strength through every trial and triumph.”
Much more than the N10 million in cash prize, and the opportunity to represent Nigeria on the global stage in Mexico this November, the win cements her place in the spotlight and sets her up for other life-changing opportunities. In her words, “Standing here as Miss Universe Nigeria is a dream come true, and I am deeply honoured and humbled to wear this crown tonight… As I accept this honour, I want to share a vision that burns deeply within me, a vision of African unity and peaceful coexistence.”
Chidimma Adetshina’s story might sound like another reel in the movies of beauty pageant, but it also teaches the power of determination and focus. Her story is a reminder that occasional failures should not be a reason to quit. One must always give purpose another chance.
As she prepares for Mexico, the Nigerian-born model has earned a continent’s applause, shrugging of a controversy to birth a dream, freedom wrestled from a fight for identity and the call to African unity beyond tribe, culture and country. To her, and many more who felt she was unjustly denied by the country where she was born, the crown is not just a symbol of beauty, it is a call to action.
