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44th Miss Nigeria From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 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]
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