I doubt any Miss Universe Nigeria contest has attracted as much attention or polarisation as the recently concluded one, which crowned Miss Chidimma Adetshina as its winner. Unless you've been off the radar (stuck in space or locked up in a room without access to social media or news), you most likely know of the xenophobic-tinted hostility Chidimma faced for wanting to contest in Miss South Africa. The attack on her was further fueled by South Africa's Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie--a figure with a highly controversial past, including a history of bank robbery and gang activity.
The allegation is that Chidimma is not really South African because her nationality (through her mother) was acquired fraudulently. Chidimma quit the pageantry and accepted the invitation from Nigeria to contest in its Miss Universe. She came, she saw, she conquered. This has now led to some perplexing reactions from certain Nigerians.
I came across a comment that read, "Nevertheless, she (Chidimma Adetshina) robbed one of the other girls who were there from the very beginning of a chance to reign." This perspective is misguided. Competitions are not democratic processes governed by sentiment or seniority or any other arbitrary criterion outside of the contest's framework; they are about performance and merit.
The central question should be: Did Chidimma deserve to win? If the answer is yes, then there should be no "nevertheless." The comment acknowledges that Chidimma's victory was earned, so the notion of her "robbing" someone else of the win is silly. To "rob" implies taking something that wasn't rightfully yours, but winning a competition is not about entitlement; it's about merit.
If Chidimma won based on her performance, then she did not "steal" the victory from anyone. Competitions reward excellence and the highest level of performance at the time of the event, not who was there from the start. You don't get rewarded for simply having registered early or for your duration of participation; success is determined by how well you perform within the particular competition's context.
If you were the top student in your class, and a new student from a more rigorous school joined midterm and, thanks to their prior preparation, outperformed you, would you say that they "robbed" you of first place? Or, if you were set to represent your school in a major contest because you had been their best student, and this new student arrived with all the advantages of their better-prepared school, should your school still send you simply to reward you for "being there from the beginning"? It would be up to your school to up their game or up to you to find ways to up yours.
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When it comes to competitions like Miss Universe, the goal is to select the best performer at that level. No one will be rewarded for "having been there from the beginning"; the focus is on current performance and qualifications. It's about how well each participant performs relative to the standards of the competition. Being "there from the beginning" doesn't necessarily entitle someone to a win if there are others there whose performance is superior. Whenever one wakes up is their morning ndiIgbo say. Chidimma joined the Nigerian contest when her own morning came. The focus should remain on the performance and qualifications at the time of the contest, not on notions of entitlement or duration of participation or even fairness. If Chidimma earned her victory, then any suggestion that she "robbed" someone else of the win is unfounded. Her victory should be viewed through the lens of her achievement and the criteria of the contest, to respect the integrity of the competition. Merit should always prevail over sentiment.
Now, as for those questioning the validity of Chidimma representing Nigeria, because they don't think she's Nigerian enough, my only comment is this: are you people okay at all? Chidimma has a Nigerian father. What else do you want?
I wish Chidimma all the luck she needs in Mexico. I don't believe I have ever watched any beauty contest, but I might tune in to this. And I'll be hoping that she brings the crown back to Nigeria. She has shown tenacity and grace under fire. I hope she gets to live her dream. She has earned it.
