LAST, week, the House of Representatives congratulated the Miss Universe Nigeria winner, Chidimma Adetshina, on emerging as the first runner-up at the 73rd Miss Universe pageant in Mexico. A congratulatory message signed by Rep. Akin Rotimi Jr., spokesman for the 10th House of Representatives, reaffirmed the Green Chamber’s commitment to advancing policies that empower the girl-child and champion the progress of women in all areas of life. Deputy Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, praised Adetshina’s tenacity and grace, stating that “her inspiring story, marked by perseverance and grace, will undoubtedly serve as a beacon of hope and motivation for generations to come”.
Although Adetshina brought glory to Nigeria, her journey to stardom was strewn with land mines. Initially, she had participated in the Miss South Africa 2024 pageant but was forced to withdraw from the race after ceaseless onslaughts on her person, image and ancestry by xenophobic individuals in the country who sought to demonise her due to her Nigerian ancestry. Her citizenship and participation in the South African pageant were deemed fraudulent because her Mozambique-born mother had allegedly used the identity of a South African citizen to obtain her papers while she (Adetshina) was only a baby. Harangued and harassed out of South Africa, Adetshina sought refuge in her land of heritage, Nigeria, and went on to represent Taraba State in the Miss Universe Nigeria 2024 pageant which she won, earning the right to represent Nigeria at the Miss Universe pageant.
But even then, the persecution from South Africa, both from ordinary citizens and critical organs of the South African State, did not cease. Officials of the South African State did not cease to demonise and defame her and everything she represented. And ahead of her triumph at the Miss Universe finals, members of a South African outfit, the Progressive Forces of South Africa, wrote a petition to the organisers, defaming Adetshina and seeking her disqualification. They wrote: “We are writing this letter on behalf of everyone who stands for justice to plead with you, Miss Universe, as an organisation, to reconsider the contestant, Miss Nigeria Universe, and if possible, to cancel her entry..The Nigerian Embassy granted the mentioned contestant a diplomatic passport, which ensured a swift escape for herself and her mother, granting her the opportunity to be a contestant in Miss Universe Nigeria.” On its part, the Department of Home Affairs announced that Ms. Adetshina and her mother’s South African identity and travel documents would be revoked after they failed to prove the validity of those documents. However, at no time did the Department provided evidence of, or used definitive language suggesting, fraud on the part of the accused.
And as it turned out, Adetshina emerged first runner up at the Miss Universe Competition after an electrifying face-off between Nigeria and Denmark. Although Miss Denmark, Victoria Kjaer Theilvig, ultimately won the crown, taking over from Miss Universe 2023, Sheynnis Palacios of Nicaragua, it was Adetshina that the other beauty queens swarmed, as her stellar performance and grace earned her widespread admiration from judges and audiences alike. Indeed, she almost equaled the achievements of Agbani Darego who, on November 16, 2001, became the first Black African and Nigerian to win the coveted Miss World title at the age of 18. Following the great outing at Mexico, Adetshina announced plans to step away from pageantry to focus on personal growth and career development, hinging the decision on her desire to prioritise education and explore new opportunities in runway modelling and acting.
We applaud Adetshina’s resilient spirit. Under the spotlight in South Africa, Nigeria and Mexico, she showed remarkable courage and finesse. Amid a barrage of hateful statements and actions in the country where she was born, she held her head high and showed exceptional grace and aplomb, rising beyond the entirely needless resentment and public opprobrium informed by xenophobic ignorance to pursue her dreams. In similar circumstances, many would have taken the easy way out, abandoning the thought of a pageant altogether or even committing suicide. Remarkably, when Adetshina found the climate in South Africa intolerable, she took the honourable path of returning to her land of ancestry where she was welcomed like the hero she has turned out to be, and spoke not a word against South Africa or South Africans even when it would have been within her rights to do so. Her persecutors and tormentors gave her no quarter, but she did not allow herself to be daunted by the raw hate. She went to the global stage and brought honour and glory to Nigeria. We salute her courage in the face of adversity and wish her success in her future endeavours.
In the same vein, we condemn the cruel treatment that Adetshina received from ordinary South Africans and members of the South African Establishment. It was completely undeserved. Even if her mother had done anything wrong, there was no way she could have been her accomplice as a baby. The way she was treated, though, it was as if she was a common criminal. In treating Adetshina with so much hate and so much scorn because of her Nigerian ancestry, South Africa and South Africans dragged Nigeria’s decades of goodwill through the mud. It is hoped that the Nigerian government has taken judicious notice of her ordeal and will formulate measures for dealing with such cases appropriately, going forward. Xenophobia should have no place in the modern world.
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