The president of the Silverbird Group and organiser of Miss Universe Nigeria, Guy Murray-Bruce, has clarified that Chidimma Adetshina received no special treatment in her bid to join the competition. Murray-Bruce assured that Adetshina underwent the same rigorous screening as all other contestants.
Wuzup Nigeria earlier reported that Adetshina, who recently withdrew from the Miss South Africa pageant amid controversies, accepted an invitation to compete in Miss Universe Nigeria this August. Her participation raised concerns about fairness, given her rising fame compared to other contestants.
Murray-Bruce speaking to Premium Times said, “The only difference was that she participated remotely. She’ll share a room with the other girls, rehearse with everyone, and face the same rules. No special privileges. If she doesn’t rehearse, she’ll be kicked out. Any delegate who doesn’t follow the rules will be disqualified.”
He further explained, “It’s an equal opportunity for all of them. No one’s going to be singled out; she’s going to rehearse like everybody else. Because if she doesn’t rehearse, she’ll be kicked out. Any girl, any delegate that doesn’t follow the rules and regulations of the organisation, will be kicked out of the contest; everything will be uniform. Nigerians will see for themselves.”
Murray-Bruce stressed that strict rules apply to all 25 delegates, likening it to “joining the military.” He added, “If you don’t behave yourself, you fall out. There will be no favouritism. But the moment you have favouritism, it becomes a huge problem. We don’t want that to happen. We’ve been organising pageants for 38 years; I know what’s right and wrong. We treat each one like they’re all queens.”
He also provided context for Adetshina’s invitation, stating that as a dual citizen, she was eligible to compete. “She was promoting Nigeria and South Africa in camp. She has a Nigerian father. Despite representing South Africa, she was being threatened. It had nothing to do with the organisation of Miss South Africa; it was the ministers. The organisation was 100 percent behind her, but the government was anti-her.”
Murray-Bruce detailed the decision process: “I contacted the Miss South Africa National Director and asked if Chidimma could participate in our national pageant. The Miss SA Director couldn’t give a definite answer and had to reach Chidimma. We still issued a press release inviting her and ‘gave her an olive branch.’”
Despite already selecting 24 delegates, the organisers felt it was important to support women in the diaspora, leading to Adetshina’s inclusion. “We had already selected 24 delegates for the show; I agree. But for this, it was an exceptional case. We didn’t want to leave any ladies in the diaspora stranded. We had to help her out. Nigeria has been known for many things in the past. Can we do something positive once in a lifetime? That should be the narrative. This is a humanitarian story, and you can’t run away from it.”
Addressing concerns about Adetshina’s potential impact on the competition, Murray-Bruce said, “I can’t predict what will happen. But there are a lot of girls out there among the 24, so she’s just going to be one of them anyway. In any competition, there are always favourites among supporters and viewers at home.”
The Miss Universe Nigeria pageant starts on August 23, with the grand finale scheduled for August 31. Murray-Bruce assured that Adetshina’s inclusion would not affect the planned schedule. He confirmed, “Adetshina’s father is from Enugu; she will represent Taraba State. This is how the organisation assigns states to contestants. It has always been our approach to maintaining fairness and tribalism.”
The winner of Miss Universe Nigeria will represent Nigeria at the 73rd Miss Universe in Mexico on November 16.
