Peter Mbah, the Enugu governor, has appointed Chidimma Adetshina, the South African-born Nigerian model, as the state ambassador.

On Thursday, Mbah hosted the reigning Miss Universe Nigeria and her father Okechukwu Onwe at the government house in Enugu.

During the visit, the governor praised Chidimma’s “resilience and determination”, describing her as a “true representation of the people of Enugu”.

Mbah emphasized Chidimma’s potential to inspire young people, sharing her experiences and encouraging them to pursue their goals.

He also assured the state government’s support for her upcoming participation in the international Miss Universe pageant in Mexico.

“Your story is inspiring. You could see that despite all attempts to malign and discourage you, you demonstrated that you are a true daughter of Enugu State. You overcame those challenges with the grit and resilience the people of Enugu State are known for,” he said.

“With the height and the feat you have attained today, you can act as a major influence to our young people, girls in particular. We will look at how you could engage some of our young people, share your experience, what you have been through, and how you got to where you are today. Sharing that will be quite inspiring and encouraging.”

On her part, Chidimma expressed gratitude to the people of Enugu for their warm welcome. She commended Mbah for prioritizing education in the state. She also stated her readiness to serve as a beacon of hope to young women.

“I do feel that my story is a very powerful one, not only in Nigeria but all over the world. A lot of youths can resonate with my story and they can learn from my journey,” she said.

Chidimma was born in 2001 in Soweto at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital. Her father hails from Enugu while some reports said her mother is a Mozambican who had become a naturalized citizen of South Africa.

The model sparked controversy during this year’s Miss South Africa pageant due to her nationality.

This attracted criticism on social media, especially from South Africans. Chidimma would later withdraw from the Miss South Africa contest.

Her withdrawal came after the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) for South Africa alleged that preliminary evidence suggests Chidimma’s mother may have committed fraud and identity theft.

Addressing the allegations, Chidimma said: “I didn’t steal anyone’s identity”.

On August 14, she accepted the invitation to participate in this year’s Miss Universe Nigeria pageant. She was later crowned winner of the pageant.

She also dismissed insinuations that she won the Miss Universe Nigeria pageant “out of pity”.

Chidimma argued that she went through the same rigorous experience as all contestants, adding that “I worked hard to earn my title”.

Nigerian superstar Ayra Starr reaches a new landmark as she hits 2 billion Spotify streams.

Since announcing herself with her self-titled debut EP in 2019, Ayra Starr has become one of Nigeria’s biggest musical exports.

The Grammy-nominated singer has reached another career milestone after surpassing 2 billion Spotify streams. According to Spotify data aggregating platform Kworb, the singer has tallied just over 2 billion streams as at October 10, 2024.

This feat comes months after she released her second album ‘The Year I Turned 21’ which has already surpassed 500 million Spotify streams.

The award-winning singer boasts of two songs with over 400 million streams. Rvssian’s ‘Santa’ on which she made a guest appearance has garnered over 455 million Spotify streams while her hit single ‘Rush’ has accumulated over 409 million Spotify streams.

Libianca’s ‘People’ on which she appears alongside Omah Lay has reached 106 million streams while her hit song ‘Bloody Samaritan’ has totaled 82 million streams.

Ayra Starr joins Wizkid, Burna Boy, Rema, CKay, Tems, and Davido as Nigerian artists with over 2 billion Spotify streams across all credits.

2024 has been a hugely successful year for the superstar who recently earned four nominations at the 2024 MTV EMAs. The 22-year-old singer will be competing for the Best New Artist, Best African Act, Best Afrobeats Act, and Best Push.

The singer has also teased the idea of a deluxe version for her sophomore album which has so far enjoyed impressive commercial success.

Halima Hassan, the mother of Rico Swavey, the late reality TV star, has opened up on coping with his death.

Swavey died on October 13, 2022 — a few days after he was involved in a ghastly car accident. He was buried in Lagos on October 20 of the same year.

In an interview on the ‘WithChude’ podcast, Hassan revealed she still talks to Rico’s pictures hung around her home while sharing her daily routine as if he were present.

She said the ritual brings her comfort and helps her cope with the loss. She said she made a promise to Rico after he was taken off life support.

“When he passed on, why I requested to stay with him at that very moment, I said to him ‘the music that you could not bring out, I will help you bring them out, I will do the remaining work for you, I am not going to let your hard work just go like that,’” she said.

“I still have Rico’s pictures all over the house. Every time I look at him, I smile and I say ‘Rico it’s another day for me, I am going out today’ and I will try to talk to the picture to tell him what I am doing for the day, then I will leave. I say my prayers every morning. Tell God to give me the courage to move on with my life.”