First Lady Oluremi Tinubu has flagged off the distribution of two million packs of sanitary towels to girls in public basic education schools nationwide.
She also announced a N2 billion learners’ retention support programme targeting 100,000 learners in its first phase, with each beneficiary expected to receive N20,000.
Oluremi announced the interventions at the launch of Flow with Confidence 2.0: Keeping Every Girl in School at the State House Banquet Hall, Abuja.
The initiative, implemented by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), commemorates the 2026 International Day of the Girl Child under the theme, “End Child Marriage and Invest in Girls’ Rights”.
The First Lady said no girl should miss school because she could not afford sanitary pads or other basic educational materials.
She said the interventions would address financial and menstrual hygiene barriers to girls’ education, particularly in rural communities, in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Oluremi said the programme builds on the first phase of the outreach launched by her Renewed Hope Initiative on October 2, 2025, which provided a one-year supply of disposable sanitary pads to 370,000 schoolgirls in rural communities nationwide.
She urged wives of state governors to supervise the distribution in their states in collaboration with commissioners of education and chairmen of State Universal Basic Education Boards to ensure transparency and accountability.
She also called on traditional rulers, religious leaders and community stakeholders to challenge the stigma surrounding menstruation and encourage families to support girls’ education.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, said the Federal Government was working to institutionalise menstrual hygiene support in basic schools.
He confirmed that the first phase had reached 370,000 girls across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Alausa said UBEC would make annual budgetary provisions for sanitary towels, while the World Bank-supported Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) would provide complementary support throughout the project’s duration.
He added that the ministry would work with state governments and schools to ensure the supplies reached the intended beneficiaries.
