Miss Universe Nigeria, Chidimma Adetshina, has announced her decision to take a break from beauty pageants following her historic performance at the 2024 Miss Universe competition.
Speaking after her return to Nigeria in an exclusive interview with BBC Pidgin on Tuesday, Adetshina expressed pride in her accomplishment, which she said exceeded her expectations.
Adetshina emerged as the first runner-up in the global pageant held on November 16 at Arena CDMX in Mexico City, marking a new milestone for Nigeria on the international stage.
She is the first runner-up ever from Nigeria and West Africa.
The 23-year-old, who represented Nigeria alongside 125 contestants from other countries, was also crowned Miss Universe Africa and Oceania during the event.
“I was so emotional when I was called into the top five. I had prepared myself mentally just to make it into the top 30. Surpassing my own expectations has made me very proud of myself,” she shared in Pidgin.
Despite her success, Adetshina revealed plans to step back from pageants to focus on her education and explore new opportunities in modelling and acting.
“I want to put pageants aside for now and concentrate on my studies. I also want to explore other opportunities to establish myself,” she said.
She added, “I’m also looking forward to exploring runways, acting, and seeing where my potential takes me.”
Her journey to the Miss Universe stage was not without challenges.
Earlier this year, Adetshina faced public scrutiny and controversy surrounding her South African citizenship.
This led to her withdrawal from the Miss South Africa pageant after the country’s Department of Home Affairs launched an investigation into her eligibility, citing allegations of identity theft linked to her mother.
Adetshina was invited to participate in the Miss Universe Nigeria 2024 pageant, which she won.
When asked about the citizenship controversy, Adetshina said she had yet to fully understand the situation and would address it after consulting with her lawyers.
“People are very interested in the story. But as I haven’t been home or spoken to my lawyer yet, I cannot make any statements. Once I have all the facts, I will provide clarity on the matter,” she said.
As Miss Universe Africa and Oceania, Adetshina is set to work on various projects in collaboration with the Miss Universe organisation.
While specifics remain unclear, she revealed that her role would involve travelling across countries for development-focused initiatives.
