Chidimma Adetshina To Move To Nigeria After South Africa Nationality Row
Chidimma Adetshina said that she intends to relocate to Nigeria after finishing as the runner-up in the Miss Universe pageant while representing the West African country, reported The Guardian.
The 23-year-old law student withdrew from the Miss South Africa competition in August due to concerns for her safety and that of her family, following questions about her nationality.
This situation arose amid allegations that her mother had stolen the identity of a South African woman, a matter that is currently under investigation by South African police. She said:
I have already decided that I want to relocate to Nigeria.
She said she did not know whether she could go back to South Africa and that she would work with a lawyer in the hope of getting the situation resolved by the end of the year.
When asked about seeing her child and whether they would move with her to Nigeria, Adetshina responded::
I haven’t seen my family yet. I’m really looking forward to that and I guess when we do meet we’ll be able to make this decision, because it is a hasty one.
As Adetshina progressed in the Miss South Africa competition, she faced persistent abuse over her citizenship due to her Nigerian name and father.
Following this, she was invited to compete in Miss Universe Nigeria in August, where she emerged victorious.
Recently, the director general of South Africa’s Home Affairs department informed parliament that Adetshina and her mother’s identity documents had been cancelled because they failed to provide sufficient reasons for their eligibility to retain them.
Adetshina, who was born in Soweto and had previously said her mother was South African with Mozambican roots, said she doesn’t have any animosity towards South Africa. She added:
Because at the end of the day it is still a place that I call home, no matter how painful it is to say it.
For the next year, Adetshina will be travelling the world with the Miss Universe organisation. She hopes to foster connections between her continent and the two countries she cherishes.
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