•Chidinma Adetshina
The recent controversies leading to model Chidinma Adetshina, dropping out of the beauty pageant in South Africa once again, highlighted the hatred towards black foreigners.
Social media users, predominantly from South Africa had raised a serious storm over Chidinma, who is of a Nigerian and Mozambican origin, insisting that her Nigerian heritage disqualified her from participating in this year’s Miss South Africa beauty pageant, reports Saturday Vanguard.
The good news making the rounds is that Chidinma has accepted to come and contest for the 2024 Miss Universe Pageant in Nigeria.
Extending massive congratulations to the model for accepting the invitation, ex Super Eagles player, Bishop Idah Peterside said it was clear what the young girl has gone through, stressing the need for her to be strong and understand that she truly has the Nigerian blood running through her veins.
Bishop Peterside who noted that he lived in South Africa for 27 years pointed out that the country is no more what it used to be adding that “It has been destroyed by people without conscience. People that are very petite in their thinking.”
Narrating his experience living in South Africa, he said, “I started a Church there. If I wanted to do wrong, I wouldn’t have started a structure there but would have brought the whole money to Nigeria. Not everyone is xenophobic. I worked with Super Sports for 22 years and within that period, the people were nice, very nice but there were some unscrupulous human beings that have not traveled outside the country who are myopic in their thinking; thinking that South Africa is the only nation in the world. No it’s not.”
Frowning at how Chidinma was discriminated against, Bishop Peterside said, “When you hear that a young girl of that age is being discriminated, its shocking. It hurts. I have a daughter that was born in South Africa; she carries a South African passport because I carry same passport and I lived there for 27 years. The thought in my mind is, in my daughter’s time, what will happen to her? By law she has the right to contest to be president, to be in the parliament, own properties, she has every right that every South African would have but she has a Nigerian blood. I think that we must stop this nonsense, especially those of you in government. The pain is that it is even worse with politicians. Politicians are more xenophobic than the citizens. It is what you sell that people are buying.”
He however congratulated a man like Malayma who he stated, “has come out to speak Africa because that’s the way to go because great leaders spoke strictly Africa. We are one. You are quite fortunate that the white man stayed in that country and transformed it to what it is. My biggest fear is that 20 years from today, that nation will turn out to be something that is unimaginable.”
He called on leaders of South Africa, to get their acts right or South Africa is about to go down the drain, adding, “We have great men and women there and you must speak up, xenophobia is wrong, it’s absolutely wrong.”
Bishop Peterside also narrated how about 60 people destroyed their Church building in South Africa.
“They pulled down the gate, destroyed the walls, shouting ‘foreigners go home’. A country I lived and built and contributed to for 27 years. Thank God I’m in Nigeria now and that’s my home and I’m comfortable being here.
“That’s why we talk to our leaders in Nigeria; you come to Nigeria the ones here won’t accept you; you go to foreign land and they won’t accept you also.
“You hear about Nigerians traveling everywhere because there’s not an acceptance. It’s quite unfortunate.
“Thank God for the organisers of this pageant that have asked Chidinma to come and contest in her country, in her fatherland -Nigeria. You will be welcome and I hope I will have the privilege if I can talk to the organisers, to be there to welcome you. Here, we will not discriminate against you.
“Again, Chidinma, welcome home. We are expecting you and we will honour you as a true Nigerian.”
