Why i won’t be returning to South Africa after Miss Universe Nigeria contest – Chidimma Adetshina

Former Miss South Africa 2024 finalist Chidimma Adetshina has said she has no intention of going back to South Africa after the Miss Universe Nigeria Pageant.

TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) recalls that Adetshina has been in Nigeria after officially joining the Miss Universe Nigeria 2024 beauty pageant as Miss Taraba.

Chidimma, born to Nigerian and Mozambican parents, endured a series of severe xenophobic attacks from the South African public after she was named among the ten finalists in the Miss South Africa grand finale.

Following the attack by South Africans and South Africa’s Home Office inquiry into her mother’s alleged crime in her registration as a citizen of the country, she withdrew from the contest.

Reacting to Chidima’s withdrawal, Miss Universe Nigeria, in a statement signed by its national director, Guy Murray-Bruce, offered the South African-born Nigerian the opportunity to represent her father’s native land.

Speaking in a recent interview on Tuesday with Cool FM, she stated that, because of the Xenophobic attack, she would stay in Nigeria and not be returning back to the country she had known since her childhood.

“I think it’s safe to say I’m not going back. It’s been amazing. I’m not even looking forward to going back to South Africa. I just want to explore more. I want to stay longer and see what happens next,” she said.

TNG reports that Adetshina had also explained that she had had the dream of being Miss Universe since 2017. She thanked the organizers of Miss Universe Nigeria for giving her the platform.

She also disclosed that the xenophobic attack made her cry herself to sleep.

“I think it’s something I started recently; however, I’ve had this dream since 2017 to become the next Miss Universe. I’m really glad I have been given the platform and the opportunity to at least try and reach that goal.

“It has been a long journey, so hard at times. I would cry myself to sleep, questioning ‘Why me?’. I had to shift my perspective to see potential greatness emerging from these challenges”, she told Bold Friday Show.