The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, on Wednesday donated 10,000 disposable sanitary pads to schoolgirls in Kogi State under her Renewed Hope Initiative.
The donation was made in Lokoja during the launch of the “Flow With Confidence” initiative, a programme aimed at promoting menstrual health education and providing sanitary products to schoolgirls across the country.
Represented by the wife of the Kogi State Governor, Sefinat Usman Ododo, the First Lady said the initiative also includes the distribution of 370,000 disposable sanitary pads to girls in rural communities across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
She explained that the intervention, which forms part of the Renewed Hope Initiative, was designed to tackle the challenges many girls face in accessing sanitary products, a situation that often contributes to absenteeism and school dropout.
Tinubu said, “Today, I am handing over 10,000 disposable sanitary pads to the Kogi State First Lady for distribution to 10,000 girls in rural areas, with each girl receiving a year’s supply.
“We believe that no girl should ever have to choose between her dignity and her education. The Renewed Hope Initiative has spent N2.55bn procuring sanitary pads from a local manufacturer, which will be distributed to 370,000 schoolgirls in rural communities.”
The First Lady urged stakeholders to support the programme and commended Governor Usman Ododo and his wife for their commitment to empowering the girl child in the state.
Also speaking, Dr Grace Afolabi of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare stressed the need for parents to educate their children on menstrual hygiene, while urging governments at all levels to invest more in menstrual health.
The Kogi State Commissioner for Education, Wemi Jones, described the programme as “a movement to restore dignity, build confidence, and ensure that no girl is left behind because of menstruation.
He appreciated the First Lady and the governor’s wife for championing the initiative.
In his remarks, the State Coordinator of the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment Project, Tijani Oricha, said the event reflected a strong commitment to dignity, inclusion, and uninterrupted education for every girl child.
The Head Girl of GYB Model Science Secondary School, Adankolo, Goodnews Shiloba, who spoke on behalf of the students, also commended the First Lady for the gesture.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the initiative called on corporate organisations and government agencies to support efforts aimed at empowering more girls.
