Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has launched a menstrual hygiene campaign in Gombe State to support young girls with access to sanitary pads.
The initiative, tagged ‘Flow with Confidence,’ targets school-aged girls and underserved communities, with the aim of tackling period poverty and promoting menstrual dignity through direct intervention, education, and advocacy.
Speaking at the event yesterday, Mrs. Tinubu said the programme was designed to assist girls who cannot afford sanitary towels due to financial constraints.
‘I didn’t come from a wealthy background, but we used disposable sanitary towels. We have now provided every girl who cannot buy one with a one-year supply of disposable sanitary towels.
‘I don’t believe in reusable sanitary towels because they are dangerous for children. Today, we are distributing 10,000 pads so that girls can attend school unhindered for a whole year,’ she said.
She expressed confidence that Gombe State Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya would complement the effort by providing additional supplies to ensure girls are not left without sanitary pads during their school years.
According to her, the ‘Flow with Confidence’ campaign has so far reached 12 states, with about N2 billion spent on procuring 370,000 one-year packs of disposable pads distributed free of charge.
The First Lady urged state governments, philanthropists, and corporate organisations to support the project to ensure that ‘no girl is deprived of going to school because of little things like sanitary towels.’