Miss Nigeria’s pride in coming second in Miss Universe

Miss Nigeria, Chidimma Adetshina, has spoken of her pride at coming second in the Miss Universe pageant, as well as being crowned Miss Africa and Oceania.

“I’m so proud of myself and I’ve just made history,” she said, shortly after losing to Miss Denmark, Victoria Kjær Theilvig.

Adetshina originally competed in the Miss South Africa pageant as she was born and raised in the country, but she faced trolling and xenophobia because her father is Nigerian.

Last month, South African authorities said they would strip her of her identity papers following allegations that her mother, who has Mozambican roots, committed identity fraud to obtain South African nationality.

Neither Adetshina nor her mother have commented on the allegations. South African authorities pointed out that Adetshina could not have participated in any alleged fraud as she was an infant at the time.

After furore in South Africa and doubts about her nationality, she entered the Miss Nigeria pageant, which she won to qualify for the Miss Universe pageant in Mexico City.

The eventual winner of Miss South Africa, Mia le Roux, withdrew from Miss Universe last week citing an undisclosed medical condition. She was the first deaf woman to become Miss South Africa.

In September, Adetshina, a law student, told the BBC she still saw herself as “proudly South African” and “proudly Nigerian”.

But after Miss Universe South Africa tweeted to congratulate her on her second place alongside both South African and Nigerian flags, some South Africans responded by saying she did not represent them.

In her BBC interviewAdetshina said she would seek therapy to help her deal with the trauma of the abuse she suffered.

She is the highest ranked black African woman in Miss Universe since South Africa’s Zozibini Tunzi won the pageant in 2019.