Chidimma Adetshina of Nigerian origin has proved to the entire universe not only her worth, capacity, and abilities, but has also put Nigeria, her motherland at the very forefront of global attention after she won the crown of the first runner-up at the 73rd Miss Universe pageant held in Mexico and broke the record as the very first Nigerian and African too to achieve such feat since Agbani Darego last great achievement as the winner in the year 2001, at the 50th Miss Universe Pageant.
The beauty queen whose origin was traced to the state of Enugu, Nigeria came second to no other than Denmark’s Victoria Kjaer Theilvig and has thus given millions of Nigerians a reason to smile and pride in this achievement of hers.
Her road to victory although was not rosy as the Soweto-born queen had faced serious discrimination and brief identity crises when she first emerged as Miss Universe South Africa 2024 and had taken a decision to withdraw her participation before being called by the national director of the Miss Universe pageant Nigeria, Guy Murray-Bruce to participate, which thereafter she did win before going to the international level to win the first runner up and Oceania at the 73rd miss universe pageant held in Mexico.
Before her big feat, she shared a message on Instagram saying: Many wonder why I didn’t stop. Many asked, “Why not let it be for now? Your life might be at risk.” Some questioned, “Why isn’t she giving up? Does she crave the clout?” I sat back, overwhelmed with so many unanswered questions as life moved faster than I could process. But do you know what? My dreams have kept me afloat.
To my dearest Nigerians, with open arms, you carried me on wheels made of the purest love and intentions. I still cannot fully comprehend the reasons, but what matters most is that you’ve given me a second chance at life. For a moment, my life flashed before my eyes, but in the next breath, Nigeria refueled my purpose and my reason to live.
As I step onto the Miss Universe stage tonight, I carry with me over 2 million beads of love, strength, and an unstoppable spirit. In this very moment, history is being made through my story. I call upon all my ancestors to guide my path with ease and grace. I promise to give my very best while you continue to pray for me.
A heartfelt thank you to Silverbird Group and the Miss Universe Nigeria Organization for safeguarding my life and adding more fuel to my journey through the universe.
This is to Chidimma as this is well deserved, as her hard work and resilience through all the challenges before this big fame finally paid off. She shares her gratefulness and appreciates the huge support from Nigerians all over the world.