Shatu Sani Garko (born 23 November 2003) [1] is a Nigerian model and beauty queen who was crowned the 44th Miss Nigeria in 2021. [2] [3] Winning at the age of 18, she is notable for being the first Muslim to win the pageant. [4] [5]
Garko is an indigene of Kano State, Nigeria. [6] Although raised a Muslim, she attended a Catholic secondary school where she faced bullying. As a model, Garko was advised to ditch her hijab to succeed in the industry, which she refused. [7]
In 2021, Garko became the first Muslim to win Miss Nigeria in the pageant's 64-year history, and the first hijabi contestant alongside pharmacist Halima Abubakar. [8]
Garko's Miss Nigeria victory was met with opposition from Hisbah, a Muslim purist group in Northern Nigeria. Hisbah criticised Garko's participation in the pageant, describing her actions as "illegal" and a bad example to young Muslim girls. In an interview with BBC Hausa, the Kano state Hisbah board chairman, Muhammad Harun Ibn-Sina, confirmed Garko's parents had been invited to a meeting with the Hisbah board for questioning. [9]