By Adegboyega Adeleye
Danielle Adewusi has been crowned Miss Universe Nigeria 2026 after emerging as the winner of the national pageant on Sunday in Lagos.
Representing Lagos State, Adewusi defeated 19 other contestants at the grand finale held at Balmoral Hall, Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos. She will now represent Nigeria at the 75th Miss Universe Festival in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in November.
But beyond the crown, Adewusi has built an identity around medicine, women’s health advocacy, creativity and pageantry. Here are 10 important things to know about the new Miss Universe Nigeria:
- She is a medical doctor
Adewusi is a physician and advocate with a particular interest in women’s health. She describes herself as an aspiring obstetrician and gynaecologist.
- She has a strong academic background
She studied at King’s College London, earning an MBBS alongside a first-class BSc (Hons) in Psychology. Her official biography also notes that she has published research in international scientific journals.
- She founded Scrub The Stigma
In 2023, Adewusi founded Scrub The Stigma, an organisation focused on tackling stigma around women’s health and helping women access information and resources to advocate for themselves.
- Women’s health is central to her advocacy
Her work extends beyond awareness campaigns. Through Scrub The Stigma, Adewusi established women’s health funding aimed at helping patients with medical bills at Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital in Edo State.
- Her creativity beyond medicine and advocacy
Medicine and advocacy are not her only interests. Adewusi is a classically trained pianist and cellist. Her official biography states that she studied at the Guildhall School of Music and holds a DipABRSM in piano.
- She already had pageanty experience prior to Miss Universe Nigeria
Her Miss Universe Nigeria victory is not her first major pageant experience. Before returning to compete in Nigeria, Adewusi placed in the top five of Miss Universe Great Britain.
- She has an international advocacy background
Adewusi’s profile also identifies her as a speaker and a former UN Women UK delegate to the Commission on the Status of Women, adding an international dimension to her women’s health advocacy.
- She combines medicine with entrepreneurship and the arts
Her official profile presents a range of interests beyond her medical career, including entrepreneurship, music, public speaking and advocacy — giving her public identity a broader dimension than pageantry alone.
- She has positioned pageantry as another platform for her work
Adewusi’s professional social-media presence connects her Miss Universe Nigeria journey with her existing work in women’s health and advocacy. Her public profile therefore presents the crown as an extension of interests she had already developed before entering the competition.
- As Miss Universe Nigeria, she now takes that platform to the global stage
With her Miss Universe Nigeria 2026 victory, Adewusi is set to represent Nigeria at the 75th Miss Universe Festival in Puerto Rico. The national title gives her a significantly larger platform for the advocacy work associated with Scrub The Stigma.
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