The wife of the President, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has launched a bold new intervention to address one of the most overlooked challenges facing young girls in Nigeria menstrual health. On Thursday, she flagged off the distribution of 370,000 sanitary pads worth over N2.5 billion to schoolgirls in rural communities across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
The initiative, part of her Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) under the campaign tagged “Flow with Confidence,” is designed not just as a health programme but also as an empowerment strategy to ensure that girls can continue their education with dignity, regardless of their backgrounds or financial challenges. The launch event was held at the State House in Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos, with young schoolgirls and key government officials present, symbolizing the importance of the occasion.
Senator Tinubu, who was represented by the wife of the Lagos State Governor, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, explained that the project is a direct response to the struggles faced by many girls in rural communities who are often forced to miss school during their menstrual periods due to their inability to afford sanitary pads.
According to her, this initiative recognizes that menstrual health is directly tied to educational success and the overall wellbeing of the girl child. She emphasized that the Renewed Hope Initiative seeks to remove barriers that force young girls into cycles of inequality, where something as natural as menstruation becomes a reason for dropping out of school.
The distribution programme was not only launched in Lagos but also simultaneously in Borno, Cross River, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, and Kebbi states, with assurances that the remaining states would commence theirs as soon as the sanitary pads were received. This nationwide rollout highlights the coordinated effort of the initiative and its focus on inclusivity.
Each state, alongside the Federal Capital Territory, is expected to distribute 10,000 packs of pads to schoolgirls through their first ladies and RHI coordinators. The aim, as emphasized in the President’s wife’s speech, is to provide girls with one full year’s supply of disposable sanitary pads, thereby taking away the burden of choosing between their education and personal hygiene.
The intervention comes at a critical time when rising economic hardship in the country has made even basic hygiene products unaffordable for many families. In particular, the cost of sanitary pads has skyrocketed in recent years, with the result that young girls in low-income and rural communities are often forced to use unsafe alternatives such as rags, tissue paper, or even newspaper.
Such practices not only compromise their dignity but also expose them to the risk of infections, long-term reproductive health issues, and in extreme cases, infertility. Senator Tinubu made it clear that the Renewed Hope Initiative could not stand by while Nigerian girls continued to endure these preventable challenges.
Her speech struck a chord when she declared that “in today’s modern world, no girl should have to miss school because of her inability to afford sanitary products.” She described the situation as unacceptable and stressed that it is time to end the trend where girls fall behind academically or worse, drop out entirely because they cannot manage their menstrual cycles safely and hygienically.
According to her, the new intervention seeks to restore both confidence and opportunity, allowing every girl to pursue her education unhindered.
The First Lady further explained the rationale for choosing disposable sanitary pads over reusable ones, noting that disposables are simpler, more hygienic, and offer better health protection for the reproductive system.
By providing these pads free of charge for a year, the programme aims to remove the stigma and barriers associated with menstruation while also promoting girl-child education as a national priority. In her words, “No girl should ever have to choose between her dignity and her education.”
The event also featured remarks from the Lagos State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Jamiu Alli-Balogun, who spoke on behalf of the state government. Represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Abisola Adegbite, Alli-Balogun praised the initiative, describing it as a powerful demonstration of the First Lady’s concern for the girl child, particularly those at the grassroots.
He recalled that in the past, young girls often struggled to understand and manage their menstrual cycles, with very little support from their schools or communities. The commissioner commended the Renewed Hope Initiative for addressing such a deeply sensitive issue with practical solutions that put the needs of young girls at the center.
Beyond the immediate health and educational impact, the programme is also symbolic of a wider cultural shift. In many parts of Nigeria, menstruation is still shrouded in stigma and silence, leaving young girls unprepared and unsupported during this natural stage of life. By publicly prioritizing menstrual health at the national level, Senator Tinubu’s programme challenges this stigma and opens the door to more open conversations about reproductive health, gender equality, and educational access.
This intervention also reflects the growing recognition, both globally and locally, that menstrual health is not just a personal or family matter but a public health and educational issue. When girls cannot access sanitary products, the ripple effect extends beyond the individual to entire communities, as education levels drop, opportunities shrink, and gender disparities deepen.
The Renewed Hope Initiative, therefore, seeks to break that cycle by giving Nigerian girls the tools they need to succeed, regardless of their socioeconomic status.
For many of the young girls in attendance at the flag-off event in Alausa, the day marked more than just the distribution of sanitary pads—it was a moment of recognition and validation. It sent a message that their struggles are seen and that their futures matter. With 370,000 girls expected to benefit across Nigeria, the initiative represents one of the largest menstrual health interventions ever launched in the country.