Danielle Adewusi is currently at the centre of attention after being crowned Miss Universe Nigeria 2026, marking the beginning of a new chapter that will see her represent Nigeria on the global Miss Universe stage.
Representing Lagos State, Adewusi emerged from a field of 20 contestants at the grand finale held at Balmoral Hall, Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, on Sunday, September 27. She secured the crown after the final question-and-answer segment of the competition.
The new queen brings a background that extends beyond beauty pageantry. Adewusi is a medical doctor, women’s health advocate, model and public speaker, having studied Medicine at King’s College London, where she earned an MBBS alongside a First-Class BSc in Psychology.
Her victory has also attracted attention because of her family’s connection to the competition. Adewusi’s mother, Tonia Okogbenin, won Miss Universe Nigeria in 1991, meaning Danielle has now continued that pageant legacy 35 years later.
However, Adewusi has repeatedly emphasised that her journey is about more than the crown.
Speaking before the competition, she explained her connection between medicine and pageantry, saying, “For me, medicine and pageantry aren’t separate worlds. They are simply different platforms that allow me to pursue the same purpose: creating meaningful change in the lives of women and girls.”
Adewusi founded Scrub The Stigma, a women’s health organisation focused on education and advocacy in Nigeria and the United Kingdom. Her advocacy work includes programmes aimed at educating young people about menstrual health and wellbeing.
She has also spoken about her desire to use the Miss Universe Nigeria platform to expand conversations around women’s healthcare and improve access to information.
Her journey to the national crown was not her first experience in pageantry. Adewusi previously competed at Miss Universe Great Britain in 2023, where she finished among the Top Five contestants.
Now, the spotlight moves beyond Nigeria.
As Miss Universe Nigeria 2026, Adewusi is scheduled to represent the country at the 75th Miss Universe Festival in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on November 24, where she will take her women’s-health advocacy work to an international audience.
From medicine and advocacy to pageantry and public speaking, Danielle Adewusi’s rise has quickly become one of the latest Nigerian beauty-pageant stories attracting attention both at home and beyond the country’s borders.
