Meet the Founder

Gani B, the founder & Creative Director of Miss Nigeria UK, a platform born from a deeply personal journey of identity, belonging, and purpose.

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The platform was originally created as Mr & Miss Nigeria UK, the first joint Nigerian pageant of its kind in the UK. The vision was to celebrate Nigerian excellence across both men and women in the diaspora. Following three highly successful events, the team made an executive decision to rebrand. Over time, there was a clear and consistent decline in applications from men, while interest and engagement from women continued to grow. The rebrand allowed the platform to focus intentionally on where the impact, demand, and community truly sat.

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Behind the platform’s evolution lies Gani’s own lived experience.

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"Growing up in the UK, I often felt caught between worlds. I did not have many opportunities to visit Nigeria or fully immerse myself in my heritage, culture, and roots. As a result, my understanding of where I came from felt distant, incomplete, and at times, out of reach."

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In the UK, she was often made to feel too different to be truly British. Yet when she did engage with Nigeria and Nigerian spaces, she was sometimes perceived as too British to be fully Nigerian. This constant tension led to an ongoing internal question.

 

Where is the balance? Where do you belong when you exist between cultures?

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For many years, this sense of being in between created feelings of loss, confusion, and deprivation from a heritage she knew was powerful but had not fully experienced. At the same time, it sparked a deep desire to create space for others navigating that same quiet struggle of identity.

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Miss Nigeria UK became the answer to that question.

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What began as a search for cultural grounding evolved into a mission to build a platform that celebrates Nigerian excellence in the diaspora without erasing community, authenticity, or personal story. For Gani, this was never about choosing between being British or Nigerian. It was about embracing both, unapologetically.

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Through Miss Nigeria UK, she seeks to redefine what representation looks like for Nigerian women raised or living in the diaspora. The platform exists to honour heritage, empower confidence, and show that identity does not need to be singular to be powerful.

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Today, Gani’s work is rooted in bridging cultures, elevating women, and creating spaces where heritage is not something you have to prove, but something you are free to explore, own, and celebrate.

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Miss Nigeria UK stands as a reflection of that journey. One of self discovery, balance, and reclaiming identity on one’s own terms.