Danielle Adewusi representing Lagos State has been crowned Miss Universe Nigeria 2026 after emerging ahead of 19 other contestants at the pageant’s grand finale in Lagos.
The finale was held at Balmoral Hall, Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, after weeks of activities that included camp programmes, advocacy projects, talent showcases and stage performances.
The competition sought to assess contestants beyond pageantry, with participants required to demonstrate communication skills, social awareness and commitment to causes.
According to the organizers, Silverbird, Adewusi stood out during the competition for her confidence, intelligence, elegance and commitment to social impact.
She secured the crown following the final question-and-answer session, with Silverbird Group President and National Director of Miss Universe Nigeria, Guy Murray-Bruce, presenting her with the title.
Adewusi’s victory also gives her the opportunity to take her women’s health advocacy project, “Scrub the Stigma,” to an international audience.
The initiative focuses on reducing stigma around women’s health, improving access to health information and encouraging women to seek appropriate healthcare.
Adewusi is a medical doctor and the founder of Scrub The Stigma, an organization working on women’s health education and advocacy in Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
According to the organization, she founded the initiative in 2023 and has used it to promote health education, menstrual health awareness and access to healthcare support for women and girls.
Her background in medicine and advocacy featured prominently in her pageant journey. Before winning the Nigerian title, Adewusi had also pursued pageantry internationally, having placed among the top contestants at Miss Universe Great Britain, according to her organization’s profile.
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The 2026 competition featured 20 contestants representing different states and the Federal Capital Territory. The Top 10 were Danielle Adewusi of Lagos, Anita Osikhena of Edo, Myya Jones of Cross River, Melissa Toghanro of Delta, Oluwafunmibi Ajaja of Ekiti, Benedicta Iferike of Abuja, Chidinma Oluku of Abia, Precious Chinah of Rivers, Eno Idungafa of Akwa Ibom and Edidiong Udoidua of Ebonyi.
In the final results, Danielle Adewusi of Lagos emerged as the winner, Anita Osikhena of Edo finished as 1st Runner-Up, Myya Jones of Cross River was 2nd Runner-Up, Oluwafunmibi Ajaja of Ekiti placed 3rd Runner-Up, while Melissa Toghanro of Delta finished as 4th Runner-Up.
Jones had earlier secured an automatic place in the Top Five after recording the highest number of votes in the fast-track voting process. The voting platform for the competition listed 20 candidates and recorded more than 85,000 votes during the voting period.
Toghanro will represent Nigeria at Miss Supranational, while Osikhena was among the contestants who received multiple special recognitions during the event.
Osikhena won the Pitch Your Dream Competition, receiving ₦1m from Yolo Island and a two-night, all-expenses-paid stay at Yolo Island Beach Resort.
She also won the Best Advocacy Project award, for which she received ₦500,000 and a one-year supply of Golden Penny products.
Other special award winners included Miss Akwa Ibom, who was named Most Photogenic; Miss Ekiti, who won Miss Amity; Miss Edo, who received the Best Evening Dress award; Miss Oyo, who emerged Top Model; Miss Osun, who won Best National Costume; and Miss Ogun, who was named Best Talent.
Adewusi’s “Scrub the Stigma” initiative has previously undertaken women’s health education and menstrual health programmes in Lagos and Edo.
The organization says its activities include educating young people about menstrual health and providing healthcare-related support to women and children facing financial barriers to treatment.
The new Miss Universe Nigeria will now prepare for the international stage, where she is scheduled to represent Nigeria at the 75th Miss Universe Festival on November 24, 2026, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The event is scheduled to take place at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum.
With her national title secured, Adewusi is expected to use the international platform to further promote her women’s health advocacy, particularly efforts to encourage open conversations about health issues and improve access to reliable healthcare information.
SILVERBED TV
