Ufa Dania, recognized as the first plus-size contestant in the Miss Universe Nigeria pageant, credited her widespread popularity among Africans to her “classic African figure.” She highlighted how her body type resonates with many on the continent, helping to further her appeal.
“A lot of them see themselves in me, especially South African ladies. They saw someone they could relate with on a much deeper level. They saw something in me that other people were not seeing.” Dania said
During an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Thursday, Ufa Dania, the first plus-size contestant in the Miss Universe Nigeria pageant, reflected on the massive support she has received, particularly from South Africans.
This support has sparked some discussions, with some interpreting it as a subtle rivalry against fellow contestant Chidimma Adetshina.
When asked about her experience in the pageant camp, Dania described it as “challenging,” but did not elaborate further on the specific difficulties she faced.
“It was quite a lot. To me it was much more worse than NYSC camp. You wake up by 5am and you don’t sleep until like 12am the next day.” Dania disclosed.
In addition to the late nights and early mornings, wearing high heels for long hours was particularly tough for her.
“The heels you have to wear, that was my biggest fear. That was the toughest part for me.” Dania said
Despite the stigma surrounding plus sized women, Dania encouraged them not to limit themselves and pursue their goals relentlessly.
“Never doubt yourself or look down on yourself, never tell yourself that you are not good enough or not pretty enough. You have everything within you that you need to succeed in life.” she added.
Dania admitted that she struggled with anxiety even before applying but decided to face the challenge head-on.
“Before I had applied, I was having a lot of anxiety and fear because of the backlash that I could probably get and people’s bias; people believe that beauty only comes in one form. It scared me but I’m someone who tries to do the daring.”
The beauty queen remarked that she’s ready to visit South Africa as long as South Africans are ready to fund her trip.
“Tell South Africa to send me money I’ll be there immediately. I’m waiting for them, my passport is with me anywhere I go to, so when they call me to go I’m out.”
She urged Nigerians and South Africans to recognize our shared identity and put away whatever has caused this rift.
“I just feel like South Africans and Nigerians need to realize that we are all Africans, we are all brothers and sisters. It doesn’t matter whether you’re from Nigeria or Gabon or Côte d’Ivoire. We all share the same type of skin, similar cultures and traditions. We need to keep apart what happened thousands of years ago and focus on now. We need to heal from all the past things that have happened. We may be from different countries but we are still one.” Dania noted.