2024 Miss Nigeria was crowned after she retired from Miss South Africa

As Adeshina progressed in the Miss South Africa pageant, some social media users questioned her eligibility to compete and attacked Adeshina with xenophobic messages on platforms such as X and Instagram.

Following the online outcry, the Miss South Africa organization asked South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs to “verify” Adeshina’s citizenship, the department said in a statement on its website on August 7.

In its statement, the department said it had launched an investigation and had reason to believe Adešina’s mother had committed “fraud and identity theft” to obtain her daughter’s citizenship in 2001. However, the department also said Asetishina herself she could not have been involved in the theft. since she was a child at the time of the events in question.

On August 8, Adetshina announced that she was withdrawing from the Miss South Africa pageant “for the safety and well-being” of both herself and her family in a statement on Instagram.

Then on August 14, she shared in a separate Instagram post that the Miss Universe Nigeria pageant had invited her to compete. She won the contest on August 31.

Adetshina shared on Instagram on Sunday that she was “honored and humbled” to be crowned Miss Universe Nigeria.

She went on to say that her win was a “call to action” and that she hopes to use her platform to achieve “African unity”.

“Let’s break down the barriers that divide us,” she captioned her post. “To promote a continent where every African can move freely, without prejudice, pursue their dreams and contribute to the growth and prosperity of our great continent.”

Adeshina will represent Nigeria at Miss Universe on November 16. There, she will compete against Miss South Africa Mia le Roux, the first deaf contestant to win the Miss South Africa pageant. Miss USA 2024 Alma Cooper of Michigan will also compete for the title.