By Stephen Adeleye
The First Lady of Nigeria, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, has donated 10,000 disposable sanitary pads to schoolgirls in Kogi under her Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI).
Mrs Tinubu distributed the pads on Wednesday in Lokoja during the launch of her “Flow With Confidence” initiative.
It is aimed at empowering schoolgirls across the country through menstrual health education and the provision of sanitary products.
Represented by the wife of the Kogi Governor, Sefinat Ododo, the First Lady said the initiative includes the donation of 370,000 disposable sanitary pads to girls in rural communities across the 36 states and the FCT.
She said the initiative, which is part of the RHI, seeks to address the challenges faced by girls in accessing sanitary products, often leading to absenteeism and school dropout.
“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, each receiving a year’s supply.
“We believe that no girl should ever have to choose between her dignity and her education.
“The RHI has spent N2.55 billion procuring sanitary pads from a local manufacturer, which will be distributed to 370,000 schoolgirls in rural communities,” she said.
Mrs Tinubu urged stakeholders to support the programme and commended Gov. Usman Ododo and his wife for their efforts toward empowering the girl child in the state.
Dr Grace Afolabi of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, emphasised the need for parents to educate their children on menstrual hygiene and for government to invest more in menstrual health.
The state Commissioner for Education, Mr Wemi Jones, described the programme as “a movement to restore dignity, build confidence and ensure no girl is left behind due to menstruation”.
He appreciated the First Lady and the governor’s wife for the initiative.
Also speaking, Mr Tijani Oricha, State Coordinator of the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) Project, said the event demonstrated a strong commitment to dignity, inclusion and uninterrupted education for every girl child.
The Head Girl of GYB Model Science Secondary School, Adankolo, Ms Goodnews Shiloba, who spoke on behalf of the students, commended the First Lady for the initiative.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the initiative calls on corporate organisations and government agencies to support efforts aimed at empowering more girls. (NAN)
Edited by Tosin Kolade
