She Studied Eight Hours Daily, Scored 372 and Made History: Meet Daniella Owoeye, Nigeria’s Best UTME Candidate
She is sixteen years old. She woke up before the country did. She set alarms on her phone, opened her books, and refused — day after day, month after month — to stop until she had given everything she had.
And when the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board announced the results of the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, the name at the very top was hers.
Daniella Owoeye. Overall best UTME candidate in Nigeria. Score: 372.
Not among the best. The best. Full stop.
The Girl From Ota Who Outscored a Nation
Akahi News gathered that Daniella Owoeye, a sixteen-year-old alumna of EFVP Wisdom Spring Model School in Ota, Ogun State, was announced by JAMB as the overall best candidate in the 2026 UTME — a feat that has sent waves of pride, inspiration, and well-deserved celebration rippling across Nigeria’s education community.
Her scores break down as follows: English Language — 98. Chemistry — 98. Physics — 94. Biology — 82. Total: 372.
Ninety-eight in English. Ninety-eight in Chemistry. Let that settle for a moment.
When she saw her result, Daniella described her reaction with the honesty of someone who had genuinely not fully anticipated the scale of what she had achieved. “My joy knew no bounds — I didn’t even know how to express myself,” she said.
She had prayed. She had worked. She had hoped to be in the top ten. God, it seems, had a different position in mind.
This Was Not Her First Attempt — and That Detail Matters
Here is the part of Daniella’s story that deserves particular attention — the part that transforms a tale of exceptional success into something even more instructive.
This was not Daniella’s first UTME. She had sat the examination before. At her first attempt, technical problems at her examination centre disrupted her performance. She still scored 293. But it was not what she knew she was capable of.
A lesser person might have accepted 293, adjusted their expectations downward, and moved on. Daniella did not.
Akahi News learnt that the experience of that first attempt — instead of diminishing her — deepened her determination. She went back to the drawing board. Not sulking. Not complaining. Preparing.
“That experience pushed me to prepare even more intensely for the next UTME,” she said.
From 293 to 372. That is not a score improvement. That is a transformation. And it was built, deliberately and painstakingly, on the foundation of a setback that she refused to let define her.
Eight Hours a Day — The Anatomy of Excellence
Daniella’s study routine is a masterclass in structured discipline that every Nigerian student — and every parent — should read carefully.
She was consistent. She was intentional. And she was early.
Her preparation began immediately after she completed secondary school. Not weeks before the examination. Months before. From the very beginning, she committed to a daily structure: mornings from around 7 am to 11:30 am or noon, with short breaks built in. Afternoons from approximately 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm. Consistently. Day after day.
She used JAMB past questions — working through up to 100 questions on a single topic in a sitting. She used CBT practice applications including Test Driller, 330, and MySchool. She joined daily online tutorial sessions where tutors administered daily quizzes through Quizboots and weekly mock examinations. She was a member of a WhatsApp study group that shared up to one hundred questions per subject every single day — beginning with Chemistry for two months before rotating to other subjects.
She watched educational videos on YouTube. She downloaded relevant PDFs. She used the JAMB syllabus as her structural backbone, ensuring every resource she consumed was aligned with what the examination actually tests. She used past questions to create her own notes — one of the most effective learning techniques known to educators anywhere in the world.
And through all of this, she prayed. She committed her preparation to God. Not as a substitute for work — she makes that distinction clearly — but as the frame that held the work together.
It was alleged — by no one, because she said it herself — that her personal study contributed more to her success than the tutorial centre. “It’s one thing to attend a good tutorial, and another for a student to put in personal effort,” she said with a maturity that belies her sixteen years.
Her Parents: The Architecture Behind the Achievement
Behind every exceptional student, if you look closely enough, you will find exceptional support.
Daniella’s parents — Mr Owoeye and Dr Owoeye — are both connected to Covenant University in Ota. Her mother, who recently completed her PhD, works as an academic researcher at the institution. Her father is an administrator at the same university.
The academic environment of that household is not coincidental. A mother who has just defended a PhD understands what it costs to pursue intellectual excellence. A father who works in a university environment understands the value of structure and discipline. Together, they created the conditions in which a sixteen-year-old could thrive.
They prayed with her. They came into her room to pray alongside her. They paid for the CBT applications she needed. They provided data for downloading educational content. They bought textbooks and past question booklets. They created a home environment conducive to serious study.
And they believed in her — which, as any child who has been doubted will tell you, is not a small thing.
Akahi News learnt that Daniella, in turn, had a message for Nigerian parents watching her story. “Believe in your children and avoid comparing them with others,” she said. “Comparison can damage a child’s self-esteem and create feelings of inferiority. Instead, encourage your children daily, support them emotionally and academically, and provide the resources they need.”
Simple. Profound. And spoken from the experience of a child who received exactly that.
Daniella Owoeye’s story is proof of what structured preparation, discipline, and the right support can achieve. If you are a student aiming for top scores in Post UTME, WAEC, NECO, GCE, JUPEB, Pre-Degree, or School of Nursing entrance examinations — Akahi Tutors in Ile-Ife is where you should be. We have helped thousands of students gain admission into OAU, University of Lagos, University of Nigeria, University of Ibadan, University of Ilorin, University of Calabar, and other top federal universities. Call 08038644328 or WhatsApp wa.me/2348038644328 today. Your 372 moment is waiting.
“I Would Like to Advise Girls Specifically”
Daniella Owoeye is not simply content to be the best. She wants to use that position to say something.
In the middle of her interview, she paused to make an addition — unprompted, voluntary, deliberate. A message directed specifically at Nigerian girls.
“I would also like to advise girls specifically that we should strive to achieve excellence and not allow the history of males dominating the list of top UTME scorers to continue.”
Read that again. A sixteen-year-old girl, at the peak of her academic moment, choosing to use that platform to speak to other girls. To remind them of their potential. To challenge a narrative that has quietly persisted — that the very top of academic performance in Nigeria belongs, by default, to males.
Daniella does not accept that narrative. And her 372 is the most compelling argument she could make against it.
She was careful not to suggest that girls are not working hard. “I believe girls are working hard,” she said. “However, I would encourage them to intensify their efforts and keep pushing for excellence.”
Not a condemnation. An invitation. A challenge issued from the top of a mountain she has just climbed — calling to others who are still on the path below: you can do this too. Come up.
Medicine, UNILAG, and a Dream Worth Scoring 372 For
Daniella wants to study Medicine and Surgery at the University of Lagos.
She has wanted to be a doctor since childhood. The desire to treat the sick, relieve pain, and contribute to society through healthcare — these are not the answers of a student who chose Medicine because it sounds impressive. These are the words of someone who has carried a genuine vocation for years and has finally found the academic passport to pursue it.
“That passion has been a major driving force for me,” she said.
She chose the University of Lagos specifically because of its reputation for Medicine and Surgery — one of the most competitive programmes in Nigerian higher education, in one of Nigeria’s most demanding university environments.
With 372 in her UTME, Daniella Owoeye has just made the strongest possible opening statement in that application. What remains is the journey — the Post UTME, the medical programme, the clinical training, the long years of becoming a doctor.
But if the first chapter is anything to go by, the rest of the book will be worth reading.
The Low Scores That Came Before the High
There is one more detail in Daniella’s story that must be told — because it is the detail most likely to help a student who is currently struggling.
At the early stages of her UTME preparation, her CBT practice scores were not encouraging. Around 268. Below her expectations. Below the standard she had set for herself.
She did not quit. She did not lower her target. She did not tell herself that 268 was who she was.
“I didn’t allow that to discourage me or affect my self-esteem,” she said. “Instead, I stayed determined and kept working hard. Gradually, my scores improved.”
From 268 in practice to 372 in the actual examination. That arc — from below-expectation practice scores to national record — is the arc of every person who has ever chosen discipline over discouragement.
It is not a child’s play. It is not an overnight miracle. It is the slow, stubborn, daily work of someone who decided, early in the morning and every morning thereafter, that they were not done yet.
What Nigeria Must Learn From Daniella Owoeye
Beyond the inspiration of one girl’s story, there is a systemic lesson here that Nigeria’s education stakeholders cannot afford to miss.
Daniella succeeded because of a combination of personal discipline, family support, access to resources — digital tools, CBT applications, online tutorials, textbooks, internet data — and a foundational education that gave her the base to build on.
Not every Nigerian student has these things. Not every family can afford the CBT apps, the data, the textbooks. Not every child has parents who come into their room to pray with them before examinations. Not every student can find a structured tutorial environment that provides daily quizzes and weekly mock examinations.
The question Nigeria must ask — now, not later — is how to create the conditions that allowed Daniella Owoeye to become the best UTME candidate in the country, and make those conditions available to every Nigerian child. Not just those born into university households in Ota. Not just those whose parents can afford Covenant University’s environment. Every child.
When a sixteen-year-old girl can score 372, it is a reminder of what Nigerian young people are capable of. When thousands of others fail to reach their potential because of inadequate resources, it is a reminder of what the system still owes them.
Both truths must be held together. The celebration of Daniella’s achievement should not quiet the demand for systemic reform. It should amplify it.
A Message to Every Student Who Did Not Get the Score They Wanted
Daniella Owoeye scored 293 on her first attempt. She is now, on her second attempt, the best in Nigeria.
If you are a student reading this story and your UTME score this year was not what you hoped for — hear this. Your result today is not your verdict. It is your starting point for what comes next.
Daniella studied from 7 am to noon. Then from 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm. She answered 100 questions on a single topic in a single sitting. She created her own notes from past questions. She joined study groups, attended online tutorials, and prayed every step of the way.
She is sixteen. And she has shown you what is possible.
The question is not whether you are capable. The question is what you are willing to do with the time between now and your next opportunity.
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Reported by Joseph Iyaji for Akahi News — your trusted source for credible, community-aware news across Nigeria and beyond.
