I Was Told to Take off My Hijab if I wanted to succeed as a model – Miss Nigeria, Shartu Garko

Winner of the 2021 Miss Nigeria, Shartu Garko from Kano state, recently stated in an interview with Punch that her will to wear hijab was seen as a limitation to her modelling career.

“In the early days (of my modelling career), I felt a bit intimated because of my hijab. I was turned down severally because brands did not want to work with a hijab model. On several occasions, I was blatantly told I had to take off my hijab if I wanted to succeed as a model.” Shartu said.

“I have only been a model for less than a year. After I graduated from school, I was stuck at home as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. I hated being idle, so I decided to try my hands at modelling.

My first modelling audition was ‘rocky’. They picked me at first but they later said I needed better management, and they rejected me. However, that did not really discourage me. Rather, it encouraged me to do better and push harder. My mum told me, “You can’t just start this thing and be successful immediately”. She made me understand that one has to fail before one succeeds.”

On her other projects, she stated that she would like to work with foundations in eliminating period poverty.

She said “Working with the incredible team at Miss Nigeria and the Green Girl Company, I intend to focus on eliminating period poverty (inadequate access to menstrual hygiene tools and education), or at least significantly reducing it. No girl should be denied an education because they do not have access to period products. Those are necessities, not luxury items.”