When Daniella came out tops in the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) many were not aware of the sacrifice that followed it up.
The parents of 16-year-old Daniella Owoeye, who emerged as the highest-scoring candidate in the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), attributed her academic feat to discipline, structured guidance and an unusually intense reading culture.
“She was reading without end” Her mom, Felicia Owoeye said.
Speaking separately with TheCable on their daughter’s performance, Joseph Owoeye and Felicia Owoeye said they were not surprised by her achievement, noting that she had consistently demonstrated extraordinary dedication to her studies.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board had on Monday announced Daniella, an indigene of Ekiti State, as the highest-scoring candidate in the 2026 examination after securing 372 out of a possible 400 marks.
Her parents revealed that they played complementary roles in preparing her for the examination, dividing responsibilities according to their individual strengths.
Joseph, who works as an administrator at the library of Covenant University handled English-related subjects, while Felicia, who holds a doctorate degree in industrial chemistry from focused on science subjects.
According to Felicia, the arrangement helped strengthen Daniella’s preparation and understanding across key subjects.
“I assisted Daniella during her preparation in science. My husband is not into science, but he is good at English. Anything English, she goes to daddy. Anything mathematics, chemistry or physics, it is mummy,” she said.
“I could spend two hours on chemistry with her and still reduce time on other things. But I think it is all God. Without Him, we are nothing.”
The parents disclosed that Daniella scored an impressive 98 out of 100 in both English and Chemistry during the examination.
Felicia further explained that her daughter’s success was built on a combination of personal determination and a disciplined home structure that encouraged academic focus.
Her father echoed similar sentiments, stating that self-discovery at an early age played a significant role in shaping her ambitions and commitment.
“I would say a major reason is that God helped her discover herself early in life,” Joseph said.
“Before she was 10, she had already declared what she wanted to become. I believe self-discovery helped her the most.”
He also highlighted the role of intensive preparation, describing Daniella’s study routine as unusually rigorous.
According to her parents, her dedication to reading was so intense that they often worried she was overworking herself.
“She would read almost endlessly. We would leave her at the reading table at night and still meet her there the next morning,” her mother said.
“At a point, I told her, ‘Please take it easy. Your reading is too much.’”
The story of Daniella’s success has reignited conversations around the roles of parental involvement, self-motivation and structured learning environments in academic excellence, particularly as competition for university admissions continues to grow across Nigeria.
Congrats again Daniella!
