By Cheta Enyoghasi
Chidimma Adetshina, the newly-crowned Miss Universe Nigeria, has denied receiving a pity win and emphasized the hard work she put into her journey.
In an interview with Arise News, she stated that she worked hard to win the pageant.
She explained that she had the same experience as other contestants, having spent 10 weeks in South Africa and undergoing a similar journey.
Adetshina was forced to withdraw from South Africa’s beauty pageant in August 2024 due to allegations of fraud and identity theft.
Despite xenophobic backlash and rejection over her nationality, she accepted an invitation to join the Miss Universe Nigeria pageant, which she eventually won.
She said: “A lot of people felt like it was a pity win. I don’t think so. I feel like I really worked so hard, coming from the South Africa journey. We spent like 10 weeks, camp, going through the whole journey.
“It might have been a slight difference compared to everybody else, but if you have to look at the journey that we have all been through, I feel like I really had the same experience with other contestants”.
