Kia Nigeria Presents new Rio to Miss Nigeria Queen, Shatu Garko

Bennett  Oghifo

Kia Nigeria, the leading automobile brand in the country, unveils Shatu Garko, Miss Nigeria Queen as their brand ambassador.  The unveiling and handover ceremony was held at the Kia Showroom, Adeola Odeku, Lagos, and marks the beginning of Shatu’s brand ambassadorship with Kia Nigeria.

The brand ambassadorship comes on the heels of the presentation of an all-new Kia Rio to 18-year-old Shatu Garko, having won the 44th edition of the prestigious Miss Nigeria contest in December. Having entered into a partnership deal with Folio Media Group, the organizers of Miss Nigeria with a shared objective to empower young women through the beauty pageant, the partnership is aimed at supporting young women across the country. Keying into Kia’s new brand slogan of the ‘Movement that Inspires’ the partnership with Miss Nigeria seeks to provide a platform to inspire young girls to attain greatness and achieve their dreams.

Founder of Folio Media Group, the organizers of the pageant, Fidelis Anosike, said the vision was to create national empowerment and a role model that would serve as a driver for the young ladies. “We want to use it to raise the voices of women. We believe that every Miss Nigeria will also take on these issues, raising the voices of women, especially as it relates to issues around the environment,” he stated.

Commenting on the partnership at the unveiling ceremony, the Marketing Manager of Kia Nigeria,Olawale Jimoh, stated that “as a socially responsible brand in Nigeria, we understand the various struggles of young ladies, particularly in Nigeria and so we strive to make sure our company supports organisations that uplift and support women in the country. Miss Nigeria has been the epitome of promoting diversity and self-development, by providing a platform where young women can thrive and find their true confidence in themselves, in order to pursue their dreams and attain greatness. Our partnership with the pageant further demonstrates our commitment to the capacity development of people in Nigeria.”

In her remarks, newly signed Kia ambassador, Shatu Garko said, “It’s great to be part of the Kia family; a leading global brand with deep knowledge and expertise in creating technologically advanced cars and exceptional after sales service.” 

She continued “I am excited to be the brand ambassador of such a reliable brand as Kia, as a customer-centric brand with leading technology and impressive after-sales service in Nigeria. I’m excited and look forward to working with Kia.

“Miss Nigeria is a beauty contest that is there for young Nigerian women with an aim to push them from one level to another in all aspects. We will continue to sponsor programmes that ensure girls’ empowerment because it’s one of the ways we give back to society and that’s why we are here. This partnership is one of the paths to achieving our corporate social responsibility objectives and we’re proud to name Shatu Garko, the 44th Miss Nigeria Queen our brand ambassador,” Olawale said.