Drama trailed the Miss Universe Nigeria finale on Saturday night after Chidimma Adetshina, the outgoing queen, was absent during the crowning of her successor, Onyinyechi Basil, at the Balmoral Event Centre in Lagos.
Adetshina, who represented Taraba State and made history as Nigeria’s highest-placed contestant at Miss Universe after emerging first runner-up in Mexico City earlier this year, did not attend the event. Instead, she passed the crown to Basil virtually.
Her absence sparked speculations of a fallout with pageant organisers, Silverbird Galleria, as checks revealed she no longer follows the organisation or its founder, Ben Bruce, on Instagram.
In a statement shared via her Instagram Story ahead of the event, Adetshina wrote:
“I am so heartbroken, I am having so many messy emotions. My heart is so broken because I am not able to crown my successor. It’s been a hard pill to swallow, but it is what it is.”
Despite the controversy, the pageant went ahead smoothly, with Onyinyechi Basil, 25, from Anambra State, defeating 21 other contestants to clinch the title of Miss Universe Nigeria 2025.
Basil will represent Nigeria at the 74th Miss Universe pageant in Bangkok, Thailand, on November 20, where she hopes to inspire young women. “I want young girls to know that they can be more, achieve more, and still celebrate their cultural identity,” she said after her victory.
