By Rorisang Modiba
Chidimma Adetshina, the young beauty who walked away from the Miss South Africa competition, was crowned Miss Universe Nigeria on Saturday night.
“The crown is about more than just beauty. It’s about bringing people together,” she said after winning.
The 23-year-old had to drop out of the Miss SA competition because of questions about her citizenship.
Chidimma was born in South Africa, but her father is Nigerian, and her mother is Mozambican.
An investigation found that her mother might have committed identity fraud in 2001 to get South African citizenship.
In an interview with Nigeria’s Cool FM, Chidimma talked about how the saga affected her, including online bullying and even thoughts of suicide.
She faced many challenges, with some people saying she shouldn’t compete.
“It’s been a tough and exhausting journey. There were moments when I cried myself to sleep, thinking, ‘Why me? I just want this to be over,” she said.
She decided to withdraw from Miss SA after the Patriotic Alliance, led by Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie, took legal steps to stop her from competing.
After stepping down, she was invited to join the Miss Universe Nigeria competition, where she eventually led in the voting.
Pictured above: Chidimma Adetshina.
Source: Instagram
