18-year-old hijabi, Shatu Garko has become the first Muslim to win the Miss Nigeria pageant since its inception in 1957.
The Kano State indigene was crowned the 44th Miss Nigeria after beating 17 other finalists at the grand finale of the show on December 17, 2022, in Lagos.
Remarkably, Garko was also the youngest contestant this year, winning N10m, a one-year residency at a luxury apartment, a brand new car and brand ambassadorship opportunities.
Speaking shortly before being crowned Miss Nigeria Garko said, “Winning this competition means a lot to me. I have always wanted to be a Miss Nigeria. I’d like to thank Miss Nigeria and its sponsors. I would also like to thank my mum for supporting and loving me”.
The history maker had earlier stated that she loves riding horses and is passionate about proving that religion and culture are not barriers to following one’s dreams.
Meanwhile, Nicole Ikot was the first runner-up, while Kasarachi Okoro emerged the second runner-up. The winner of the 2020 edition of the pageant, Etsanyi Tukura, was present to hand over the crown to her successor at the ceremony.
Harping on the event, the organisers stated that thousands of applications were submitted before it was pruned down to the top 37 and an additional three wildcard semi-finalists.
It was clarified that members of the public were also given a chance to contribute to the process of choosing the 21 finalists who made it into the Miss Nigeria Bootcamp, which was further cut down to the top 18 finalists.
