Remi Tinubu launches N2.5bn Menstrual Health Intervention for 370,000 schoolgirls

Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, on Thursday launched a menstrual health intervention programme in Owerri, Imo State, under the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), themed “Flow with Confidence.”

The initiative seeks to provide a one-year supply of sanitary pads to 370,000 schoolgirls in rural communities across the country. The customised disposable pads, valued at N2.5 billion, were procured locally from Uniglory Nigeria Ltd. to encourage domestic production.

Represented by the Wife of Imo State Governor, Mrs Chioma Uzodinma, Mrs Tinubu said the intervention was designed to ensure that no girl misses school due to lack of access to menstrual products.

“The programme is critical because girls in rural areas miss school days every month because they cannot afford sanitary pads, leading to them falling behind or dropping out. The initiative believes that no girl should ever have to choose between her dignity and her education,” she said.

She explained that each state and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) would receive 10,000 packs for distribution in rural communities. She further appealed to local government chairmen to take full ownership of the exercise to guarantee that supplies reached the intended beneficiaries.

The First Lady also urged traditional and religious leaders to monitor distribution and stressed that the pads must not be sold. She charged the beneficiaries to remain in school, study hard, and never let shame or stigma affect their confidence.

The launch, which held simultaneously in Borno, Cross River, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Kebbi, and Lagos states, will be extended to other states upon delivery of their supplies.

In her lecture, Consultant Obstetrician/Gynaecologist, Dr Emily Akuabia-Nzeribe, described the intervention as timely, noting that menstruation carries physical, social, economic, and psychological burdens. She said while stigma, discrimination, and bullying remain challenges, the RHI project focuses on reducing the economic hardship caused by “period poverty.”

“Many young girls stay at home because they do not have the appropriate menstrual product to use. This is the problem the Renewed Hope Initiative is trying to solve, and we must be grateful for that,” she added.

The programme was also themed “Empowering School Girls through Menstrual Health.”