Owoeye Daniella Jesudunsin, a 16-year-old from Ekiti State, emerged as the top scorer in the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) with an impressive 372 out of 400 marks. The aspiring medical student, who plans to study at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), shared her unique preparation strategy that did not involve expensive preparatory schools.
Early Goal Setting and Strategic Planning
In an interview with The Cable, Daniella explained that she began her preparation early by setting a specific target score. She said: "I wrote down my goal. I wrote 370+, and then I aimed towards it." She drew inspiration from a biblical scripture in Habakkuk about writing down goals clearly.
Daniella emphasized the importance of intensifying actions rather than merely increasing goals. She stated: "I learned that we are meant to intensify our actions rather than increase our goals. So, I started pushing and doing all that I needed to do."
Structured Routine and No Social Media
The top scorer created a strict timetable, with a different schedule for revision in April. She used her phone alarm as a school bell to manage her study blocks. Daniella read from wake-up time until 11:30 a.m., then took breaks that deliberately excluded social media. She explained: "Having tasked my brain, social media is not the right option to try to cool my brain down."
Public Reactions to Her Strategy
Many Nigerians praised Daniella's approach. Obadofin Adeola commented: "You can now see that there is a match between her spoken English and the 98% she got in English language in JAMB." Chidi Echebiriuwa added: "The little girl is even a motivation and an example for adults." Emmanuel Ebare remarked: "She's a fantastic speaker, excellently eloquent and really sounds quite intelligent."
Daniella's achievement also attracted interest from a US-based company that offered to make her their ambassador, as previously reported by Legit.ng.
