"If I can stay away for seven weeks at Miss SA, trust me, I'm sure I can do it. I don't plan to go back to South Africa for now."
Chidinma Adetshina of Miss South Africa fame, has revealed her intention to audition for Big Brother Naija's reality TV show in 2025.
The BBN 2024 edition, tagged 'No Loose Guard', is underway.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that Ms Adetshina, who faced significant backlash in Miss South Africa 2024 over her Nigerian heritage, eventually withdrew from the pageant. In response, she was invited to participate in the Miss Universe Nigeria pageant, where she is currently representing Taraba State with 24 other contestants.
Speaking in an interview on The Big Friday Show with Tacha, the 23-year-old law student compared her prolonged stay in the Miss SA pageant to that of BBN, which runs for ten weeks.
"I want to enter Big Brother Naija next year. If I can stay away for seven weeks at Miss SA, trust me, I'm sure I can do it," she said.
This newspaper's checks on eligibility criteria for BBN auditions show that participants must be Nigerian citizens, at least 21 years old, and possess a valid identity card. However, whether Ms Adetshina will meet the identity card requirements is unknown.
Recall that her mother, Mrs Adetshina, was accused of identity theft during an investigation by South Africa's Home Affairs into the former finalist's identity.
Identity crisis
Addressing how she managed the identity crisis caused by the Miss SA controversy, the 300-level law student said, "For me, it has been a long journey. It's been so hard, I won't lie. Sometimes, I would cry to sleep and be like, 'Why me?' and want it to end. But sometimes, when difficult moments happen, you must look at the positive side. So I had to change my mindset and see that greatness may come from all this.
"My time in pageantry is just something that I started recently. However, I have had this dream since 2017 to become the next Miss Universe, and I'm happy I am given that platform and that opportunity to try at least reach that goal. For the past two months, I haven't prioritised that aspect. So when I feel like it's time for me to take 'Chichi moments,' trust me, I'm ready to conquer everything," the netball player said.
Support
Commenting on what drives her determination, Ms Adetshina highlighted the importance of family support.
"They are the biggest support system I've ever had, fueling me and saying, 'Listen, you can do it, no matter what. Block out everything, you can do it.'
"Also, the 'Chi Master Force' (her fans online)--I just discovered I have a force called 'Chi Master.' They are amazing; the support and love are insane. I think I'm getting a lot of hate, but trust me, if you check my Instagram, the love is there."
Regarding the challenges she faced entering Miss South Africa as a varsity law student, it was revealed that she was reluctant due to previous failed attempts.
She said: "Everybody was so supportive. I was the one who didn't want to do it because I felt so discouraged, but I had a lot of support competing. I remember I was almost late in submitting my video, but I'm grateful I took that step.
"I think what was holding me back was fear of failure. I entered last year and didn't make it, so I was like, 'What if I go again and don't make it?' I'm happy I did. With everything happening right now, the controversy, Everybody has their own time, and patience is key."
Plans
Looking ahead, The 23-year-old law student shared her plans beyond the pageantry.
She said, "I have much work put together in the future. I have a lot of tasks that I feel I need to execute, especially before representing Nigeria, if I do win, hopefully. There's a lot in store for me. I want to take myself further and be at places I never thought I could be, and I've always wanted to do modelling. So I'm grateful that I'm on that pathway and know it will go further."
"I also plan to go into podcasting. I spoke about it with the girls I was competing with in the Miss SA pageant. We wanted to start a podcast, initially as a 'Miss SA podcast,' but now, looking into it, I want to have a podcast with inspirational talks and motivate people."
When asked if her brief stay in Nigeria has prompted thoughts of relocating from South Africa, the former finalist said, "It's safe to say I'm not going back again. It's been amazing! I'm not even looking forward to going back. I want to explore, stay longer, and see what happens next.
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"I'm glad I'm back, even though my knee is not healed, but I'm ready. For me, it's just to be so happy and to conquer a lot. I know there's a lot in store for me, but I think I also need to be happy first."
As for settling down with a spouse, Ms Adetshina made it clear that her focus is currently on her ambitions: "I don't see myself as someone trying to settle down anytime soon. For now, I have a lot that I need to achieve first before I get there, but everything will fall into place."
Miss Universe Nigeria
The voting process for the Miss Universe Nigeria competition is underway, and the Taraba State delegate has urged Nigerians to support her. She said, "I would appreciate all the love and support. I would love to make it to the top 10 finalists."
The pageant started on 23 August and ran for a week. The contestants are currently in camp for their activities.
One of the 25 contestants will be crowned at the grand finale on 31 August. The winner will be able to represent Nigeria at the 73rd Miss Universe competition in Mexico on 16 November.
