Miss Universe Nigeria 2026, Danielle Adewusi, is following in her mom’s footsteps 35 years after she gained the identical title. Ahead of the seventy fifth Miss Universe, she speaks with Tosin Clegg about legacy, empowerment and her ambitions.
How did this journey begin out for you?
Thirty-five years in the past, my mom held the identical title, having been Miss Universe Nigeria in 1991, and I wish to say that I am stepping into a legacy. I am competing at Miss Universe International on the finish of this week, as I resume camp on Sunday, and I am doing one thing that has by no means been seen in pageantry earlier than. It known as the Legacy Reign, and no person has ever achieved something prefer it in pageantry.
It honours three legacies. The first, which I have already spoken about, is my mom’s achievement 35 years in the past. The second is that Nigeria gained the Miss World pageant 25 years in the past, whereas the third is the seventy fifth version of the Miss Universe competitors. The convergence of those timelines could be very vital to me and speaks strongly of legacy.
When I compete, I wish to signify Nigeria properly and honour the completely different tribes and legacies of the nation. You will see this mirrored within the wardrobe I might be bringing to camp. These are outfits I designed myself, which have been dropped at life by my wonderful stylists.
What has your pageantry journey been like up so far?
I was all the time conscious of pageantry due to my mum, and the thought that I would compete someday had all the time been behind my thoughts. In my fifth yr of medical college, I was already doing rather a lot, as I am somebody who multitasks, though I am doing much more now than I was doing then.
At some level, individuals began telling me that when I certified as a physician, I must hand over all these different pursuits as a result of I might solely be a physician. That didn’t sit proper with me. I don’t consider we now have to decrease one side of our mission for one more to be celebrated.
So, someday, I sat down and determined how I needed issues to be. I listed all of the issues I loved and was good at, then took a step again to work out the best way to obtain them. I finally determined that 2026 can be the yr, and that was how the journey started.
What makes this world showcase so particular to you?
I consider we now have an opportunity of successful, and I have seen how Nigerians have rallied behind and supported me. Many Nigerians didn’t know who I was earlier than this competitors. I had about 2,000 followers on Instagram, however that quantity has now grown to tens of 1000’s.
I have seen the love and help, and I know that individuals genuinely consider we are able to make it occur this yr. I labored onerous behind the scenes even earlier than competing at Miss Universe Nigeria, turning into a finalist or making use of for the competitors. I had already travelled to Thailand to obtain coaching from top-of-the-line runway coaches as a result of I genuinely consider we are able to win.
Winning would make historical past for a number of causes. On a private degree, I would change into the seventh (*35*) Miss Universe within the competitors’s 75-year historical past. I would even be the primary Nigerian to win the crown, as Nigeria has by no means gained the competitors.
In latest years, Miss Universe has modified a few of its necessities, permitting girls of any age to compete. Previously, the age restrict was 28, and I am now 29. So, I can be the primary queen to compete past the earlier age restriction.
Tell us about your aspirations and resolve forward of the competitors.
I am deeply prayerful, and I am a believer. Only God has introduced me this far, and solely God can convey the crown. As a rustic competing in pageantry, we face many challenges as a result of we’re up in opposition to queens who’re pageant veterans and have constructed vital followings by way of their profitable participation in competitions.
I belief in God and within the preparation that has introduced me this far.
With a lot in your plate, what has stored you going?
I preserve going as a result of I perceive my function, which is to advocate for and empower girls and women. Perhaps this comes from my mum, who’s a robust girl and has spent her life caring for others. It might also have come from my sisters, however I consider I have a robust sense of sisterhood and reference to girls and women.
How assured are you about successful the competitors?
I am extraordinarily assured. I belief within the preparation I have undertaken, the character I have developed, the power of my function and the religion that God has positioned me on this path for a motive.
I know I have what it takes, and I am doing this for the precise causes. This journey has been years within the making, and I know it’ll be distinctive.
What comes subsequent for you in the event you win?
One of my essential targets when I joined this pageant was to convey girls’s well being training to each state and each college in Nigeria. I consider girls and women want this training, and it’s important that they obtain it early as a result of it may possibly assist stop ailments.
I would like to journey to extra states and increase the work we now have already been doing in Lagos, Edo and some different locations.
