Remember Nigeria’s Miss Kwara, Ufa Dania? She wants her money for SA trip

by Nomonde Simelane

Months after former Miss Universe Nigeria contestant Ufa Dania went viral for her body positive stance in the competition, the Kwara State native took to her social media to reveal that she has not received the donations intended for her trip to South Africa.

Pageant season 2024 in Africa was nothing short of chaotic, as it was characterised by the Chidimma Adetshina saga that took South Africa and the rest of the continent by storm, as well as the infamous Miss Universe Nigeria pageant that went viral due to allowing the former Miss SA contestant to join the running to their title.

Ufa Dania, who represented Kwara State quickly gained popularity as well as the public’s favour for her body positive advocacy stance, as many applauded her decision to enter the pageant despite her being plus size and considering the standards and rules that have dominated the pageant world.

Although she did not make it to the end of the competition, Ufa’s popularity opened up a door of massive opportunities and favours from the public, including South Africans who wanted to gift her with the opportunity to visit and experience what mzansi has to offer. An internet user who goes by Reggie took it upon himself to initiate and oversee a Back a Buddy campaign where people could donate towards Ufa’s trip. He went to the extent of reaching out to Ufa, revealing his intentions to get her to mzansi shores.

However, taking to her social media, Ufa revealed that after going back and forth with Reggie over the past couple of months, she has still not received that money, despite Reggie assuring her that she will receive it. Furthermore, Ufa revealed that after some time, she suggested an alternative use for the donated money, which was to send it to her Minds and Heart foundation instead, where she would help underprivileged children.

In response, Reggie revealed that the reason behind the delay in payment is that he does not feel comfortable with sending the money to Nigeria, while it could be used to benefit South Africans. He then went on to double down on his stance, and revealed that he will not be sending the money to Ufa or her foundation, as it did not reach the target amount, which means that Ufa cannot visit South Africa as intended.

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