Chidimma Adetshina confirms participation in Miss Universe Nigeria

By Kareem Azeez

14 August 2024   |   4:12 pm

Chidimma Adetshina has confirmed that she will participate in Miss Universe Nigeria after the controversy surrounding her withdrawal from Miss South Africa. This decision follows an invitation from the organisers of the competition. In a video posted on her X account, Senator Ben Murray-Bruce, one of the owners of the Silverbird Group that organises the…

Miss South Africa (SA) contestant, Chidimma Adetshina Vanessa. Photo – Instagram / @chichi_vanessa

Chidimma Adetshina has confirmed that she will participate in Miss Universe Nigeria after the controversy surrounding her withdrawal from Miss South Africa.

This decision follows an invitation from the organisers of the competition.

In a video posted on her X account, Senator Ben Murray-Bruce, one of the owners of the Silverbird Group that organises the pageant, said, “We welcome Miss Chidimma Adetshina to participate in the Miss Universe Nigeria 2024 beauty pageant.”

Chidimma, in the video, thanked everyone who supported her and confirmed that she accepted the invitation to participate in the pageant.

“I have received an invitation from The Silverbird Group, the organisers of the Miss Universe Nigeria beauty pageant, and I say this with great excitement because I have decided to participate in the Miss Universe Nigeria 2024 Beauty Pageant,” she said in the video.

Ms. Adetshina made headlines after her citizenship sparked controversy on social media, with some people calling on the organisers of the Miss SA pageant to disqualify her, alleging she was not South African.

The beauty model has a Nigerian father, and her mother has Mozambican roots, but Chidimma was born in South Africa.

READ ALSO: Burna Boy reacts to white model winning Miss South Africa 2024 with cryptic X post

The matter took a new turn after South Africa’s Home Affairs announced their preliminary findings, indicating that Ms. Adetshina’s mother may have committed fraud to register her at birth.

According to the Department of Home Affairs, on Monday, August 5, 2024, the organisers of the event sent a request to the department to verify the citizenship of one contestant, Chidinma Adetshina.

They stated that this request was accompanied by written consent from both Adetshina and her mother. The Department of Home Affairs, in their preliminary findings, alleged that, Prima facie reasons exist to believe that fraud and identity theft may have been committed by the person recorded in Home Affairs records as Chidimma Adetshina’s mother.

It also alleged that, Adetshina did not participate in the alleged unlawful actions of her mother, as she was a child at the time the activities took place in 2001.  Also,, that an innocent South African woman, whose identity may have been stolen as part of the alleged fraud committed by Adetshina’s mother, suffered as a result because she could not register her child.

The Department has broadened their investigation to identify and pursue any officials involved in the alleged fraudulent scheme and is obtaining legal advice on the implications of the alleged fraudulent activity on Adetshina’s citizenship status. Also upon the completion of the investigation, Home Affairs intends to press criminal charges against all implicated parties.

However, the Department of Home Affairs mentioned that ongoing discussions are taking place with all stakeholders, including Adetshina’s mother.

They said, “This case, stemming from alleged fraudulent activities committed 23 years ago, underscores the need for Home Affairs to adopt digital methods for applications and verification processes to safeguard against fraud, similar to the reforms made for the South African Revenue Service in the late 2000s.”

“The case also highlights the importance of blocking certain duplicate IDs and suggests that the court order to unblock such documents should be handled with caution.

The Department of Home Affairs stated that throughout this process, they are guided by their commitment to restoring and upholding the rule of law and the rights of all parties involved.

Adetshina’s mother and family have not commented on the findings by the Department of Home Affairs. Meanwhile, Mia Le Roux won the 2024 Miss South Africa Beauty Pageant.