Meet Danielle Adewusi, the doctor crowned Miss Universe Nigeria 2026

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Danielle Adewusi is the new Miss Universe Nigeria 2026, but the medical doctor and women’s health advocate entered the competition with a background that extends beyond pageantry.n

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Here are five things to know about the new queen:

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1. She is a medical doctor

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Adewusi studied Medicine at King’s College London, where she earned an MBBS and a first-class BSc in Psychology.

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In an August interview with The PUNCH before the competition, she said her experience during medical school shaped her interest in combining medicine with women’s health advocacy.n

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She said an Obstetrics and Gynaecology rotation made her more aware of the barriers women face in accessing healthcare and motivated her to work beyond treating individual patients.

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2. Her mother was also Miss Universe Nigeria

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Adewusi’s victory continues a family pageant legacy that began with her mother, Tonia Okogbenin, who won Miss Universe Nigeria in 1991.

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Speaking to The PUNCH before the competition, Adewusi said pageantry was not initially her main focus, despite growing up with an appreciation for it because of her mother.

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“My priority was excelling in school, studying Medicine and becoming a doctor,” she said.

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She later realised that pageantry could bring together her interests in medicine, women’s health advocacy, modelling and public speaking.

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3. She has competed in pageantry before

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Miss Universe Nigeria 2026 is not Adewusi’s first pageant experience.

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She previously competed at Miss Universe Great Britain in 2023, where she finished among the Top Five contestants.

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Adewusi told The PUNCH that she had always wanted to compete at Miss Universe Nigeria but waited until she had reached important milestones in her medical career and advocacy work before entering.

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4. She founded ‘Scrub The Stigma’

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Adewusi founded Scrub The Stigma, a women’s health organisation focused on education and advocacy in Nigeria and the United Kingdom.

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The initiative runs health education programmes, including Educate Lagos and Educate Edo, which provide young people with information about menstrual health and wellbeing.

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Women’s health was also central to her Miss Universe Nigeria advocacy project. She plans to use her new platform to expand conversations around women’s healthcare and improve access to information.

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5. She sees medicine and pageantry as part of the same mission

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For Adewusi, becoming a beauty queen does not mean putting her medical career or advocacy aside.

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Explaining her decision to enter the competition, she told The PUNCH, “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.”

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She also previously served as a United Nations Women UK delegate to the Commission on the Status of Women, where she said she gained a broader understanding of challenges affecting women across different countries.

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Now, as Miss Universe Nigeria 2026, Adewusi will represent Nigeria at the 75th Miss Universe Festival in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on November 24.

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