Oluremi Tinubu Launches Over ₦2.5bn Sanitary Pad Distribution for 370,000 Schoolgirls in Rural Communities Across Nigeria
By: Israel Adeleke
OPEN TELEVISION NAIJA (OTN) News reports as gathered that the Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has launched a nationwide distribution of sanitary pads worth ₦2.55 billion to support 370,000 schoolgirls in rural communities across the country.
OTN News further reports as gathered that the official flag-off, held at the State House, Alausa, Lagos, is part of the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) project tagged “Flow with Confidence.”
The programme, aimed at promoting menstrual health and empowering adolescent girls, was simultaneously launched in Borno, Cross River, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Kebbi, and Lagos States, with other states expected to follow as supplies arrive.
Represented at the Lagos event by the State First Lady, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, Mrs. Tinubu said the intervention was designed to tackle one of the major barriers to girl-child education.
“In today’s modern world, no girl should have to miss school because of her inability to afford sanitary products,” she said, stressing that many girls in rural communities resort to unsafe alternatives or miss school days monthly due to lack of access to sanitary pads.
According to her, each of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory will receive 10,000 packs of disposable pads, distributed through State First Ladies and RHI coordinators.
“We will be distributing a one-year supply of disposable sanitary pads to 370,000 schoolgirls in rural communities across the nation at the end of this programme,” she added.
The pads, procured from Uniglory Nigeria Limited in Ikorodu, Lagos, at a cost of ₦2,550,297,150, are to be distributed free of charge.
Mrs. Tinubu warned that the products must not be sold under any circumstance and called on local government chairmen to take ownership of the initiative.
She also appealed to corporate organisations, agencies, and well-meaning Nigerians to support the project, urging traditional, religious, and community leaders to help ensure accountability in the distribution process.
“For us at the Renewed Hope Initiative, we believe that no girl should ever have to choose between her dignity and her education. Stay in school, study hard, support one another, and never allow shame or stigma to take away your confidence,” she encouraged the girls.
In his welcome address, the Lagos State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Mr. Jamiu Alli-Balogun, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Abisola Adegbite, commended the initiative.
He noted that menstrual health had long posed a challenge to young girls, often affecting their academic performance.
“This programme underscores the seriousness attached to girl-child education and the wellbeing of our daughters,” he said.
The sanitary pad distribution project is one of the flagship interventions under the Education Framework of the First Lady’s Renewed Hope Initiative.
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